Is the Second Farm Crisis Among Us?
Farmers in rural areas across the country are entering a state of emergency. Dairy & grain producers, new farmers, and farmers of color are being hit the hardest, as reported in a recent Civil Eats article by Sienna Chrisman. With the Farm Bill set to expire on September 30, this article is a reminder of how consolidation and the ongoing move away from human-scale farming is entrenched in federal farm policy, and how small-scale farmers are suffering as a result.

SNAP Funding
Earlier this summer, the USDA selected a new SNAP vendor, which has prevented millions of people from using their SNAP benefits at farmer's markets. While Governor Cuomo announced a temporary plan to ensure New Yorkers can access their benefits through February 2019, millions of people around the country are losing access to fresh produce at farmer's markets. Some markets have prepared to use older versions of EBT processing machines, but a longterm solution hasn't been presented by the USDA's new SNAP vendor, and the future is uncertain. Check out the  Farmers Markets Coalition  and  GrowNYC  for a recap and updates about accessing SNAP in NYC.