OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The Shawnee Mission School District introduced fresh, locally sourced ground beef and produce into its school cafeterias in recent years with the help of federal funding.
“We have bought local ground beef patties from Salmon Industries out of Missouri and we also bought plain ground beef from Steve's Meat Market in De Soto, Kansas,” SMSD Director of Food Service Grace Liss said. “It's been great for us.”
It’s also been great for Kansas City-area farmers, including those affiliated with the Kansas City Food Hub.
“We're kind of the procurement contract for the hamburgers, the lettuce, the tomato, when it's in season, and the onions for the local hamburger patties,” KC Food Hub Chief Business Officer Thomas Smith said.
He represents a cooperative of more than three dozen farmers within a 125-mile radius of Kansas City, which had tapped into a new market.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched two COVID-19-era programs in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan — the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, or LFS, and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, or LFPA. The programs provided money to states to buy locally grown produce and locally raised meat for schools, child-care providers and food banks.
“The benefit of local food is that not only are you supporting local small businesses — the farms — but also you're getting the most nutritious, high-quality produce to the people in need, the school children who are America's future,” Smith said.
SMSD was among a new and growing customer base for the KC Food Hub, providing fresh and unprocessed food for school lunches
“The kids love lunch here,” Westridge Middle School Principal Dave Kanne said. “... We want the kids to be healthy, so the more nutritious meals we can provide for them, the better it is for them.”
There aren’t any farms near Westridge Middle School in southwest Overland Park, but the ability to put on cafeteria foods from local sources was a benefit for the farmers, the district and the students.
But that’s all in flux now after the USDA cut funding for the LFS and LFPA programs in March, leaving food banks scrambling and farmers with unexpected overhead.
“We lose the ability to help the local farmers, the local economy, because the price of local food sometimes tends to be higher than what we can buy from a national distributor,” Liss said. “Without this extra funding, those special programs may go away.”
It’s a bummer for the farmers, too.
“The school districts just don't have enough money to buy local farm products because the economies of scale aren't there,” Smith said. “It's always going to be cheaper to buy something from wherever McDonald's is buying their burgers ... (But) my farmers take really, really high dignity in their work and the fact that they're giving their product to the whole community, because that's what they want. They don't want to just serve high-end restaurants. They don't just want to go to high-end farmers' markets. They want their communities to be able to eat what they grow.”
To continue doing so may require continued federal funding, which would mean restoring all or part of the $660 million in LFS funding and $420 million in LFPA funding that was slashed by the Trump administration.
“We need that little bit of extra money,” Liss said. “We get a small amount for every meal we serve and so we have to stretch every cent we get.”
Rep. Sharice Davids — a Kansas Democrat, who represents parts of Johnson, Miami and Wyandotte counties — met with Liss and Smith along with other schools leaders and representatives from Cultivate KC on Thursday at Westridge.
Davids enjoyed a school lunch and learned more about how the programs had benefited Kansas stakeholders.
“This really hit home and solidified just how important these programs are for our local economy, for the farmers and producers, and also for just the health and well-being of the students,” Davids, a member of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, said. “This is one of those programs that when you think about what should the government be doing and helping with, continuing to develop out our regional food system is absolutely one of those things.”
The LFS and LFPA do precisely that, she said, which is why she plans to fight for funding to be included in the next farm bill.
KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.
—
