Iowa farmers fear SNAP cuts would limit their markets

DES MOINES — Farmers in Iowa fear that proposed cuts in SNAP benefit funding could limit the market for their products. The Trump administration says it is cutting federal spending across all budget sectors. The Food Bank of Iowa says nearly 11% of Iowans, including almost 111,000 children, don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

Iowa Farmers Union President Aaron Lehman says food insecurity is a problem, not just in urban areas but also in rural ones. “We know that this impacts our people directly,” said Lehman, “and also impacts our farms, who are growing the food that’s used in the SNAP program “

Lehman adds that fewer SNAP dollars mean less money for recipients to buy the products raised by Iowa growers, which would trickle down to Iowa farmers. He says the SNAP program helps farmers broaden their markets, which ag producers need now more than ever as they face their own set of economic challenges. “Because farmers are experiencing all sorts of market upsets due to trade tensions and tariffs,” said Lehman, “and we’re also selling into a monopolized marketplace, where just a few people buy what we sell.”

Lehman adds that some Iowa farmers are already selling their crops below production costs, which would only worsen with fewer places to sell them, and reducing the number of buyers would further stiffen their economic challenges.