INDIANAPOLIS — Congress is back in session and facing deadlines that could impact Hoosiers and the way we get our food. Parts of the federal farm bill are set to expire at the end of the month.
WRTV's Amber Grigley talked to a local urban farmer about the financial struggles her organization is already facing.
"When I first started, I just wanted to grow food for the neighborhood because I learned that we were in a food desert," said Danielle Guerin, founder and executive director of the Soul Food Project.
In 2017, Guerin had a vision that would impact communities on the northeast side.
"How do we do more than just food? How do we think about the community we're serving? We are in neighborhoods with residents, not in the country. We're out here in the city," Guerin said.
The Soul Food Project has four locations from Martindale-Brightwood to Irvington. It has established youth programming and employment for community members, while assisting local food pantries and feeding families. But with growth comes more financial weight, a demand that local and state grants could not meet.
"How can we make this more long-term? We thought federal funds were the way to go," Guerin said.
That federal funding fell under the Farm Bill.
"In the beginning, it was fine. It was great. They were quick at turning around our reimbursements and our claims," Guerin said.
With three months' cash reserve, the Soul Food Project was stable until it wasn't.
"Executive orders caused first a delay, then a federal freeze. They weren't paying anything out while they were examining programs," Guerin said.
Guerin says she just received federal funds from May. This delay forced her to furlough workers and shut down operations from February to April.
"I am having to strategize and figure out how to navigate all of this while trying to keep almost two acres of farmland in operation," Guerin said.
Lawmakers are back in Washington, and the House Agriculture Committee is working on a new Farm Bill. Indiana Representative Jim Baird is on that committee.
“Passing a Farm Bill is one of my top priorities in Congress, and I am working with my House and Senate colleagues to get a Farm Bill passed by the end of this year. I was proud to help deliver a generational investment in Rural America and support Indiana’s farmers by passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which invests in livestock biosecurity measures, expands crop insurance, increases reference prices, and supports export growth for agricultural commodities. But there is more work to be done to address the challenges our farmers and ranchers face. In this next iteration of the Farm Bill, I want to strengthen the commodity programs we passed, continue to invest in successful conservation programs, support rural broadband expansion, and enact reforms so that farmers and producers across the country are not harmed by California’s onerous, costly Proposition 12 measure. As a farmer and Ph.D. scientist, I also want to see continued investment in agricultural research and our land-grant universities so that our farmers receive access to cutting-edge research and technology. I will continue to work with my colleagues and the Trump Administration to get this bill across the finish line to deliver a much-needed victory for Hoosiers.”
Despite the overwhelming challenges, Guerin is confident this hurdle won't break the mission.
"When they talk about the farm bill, they're thinking about people in the country, the farmers in rural areas. They're not really realizing that there are farmers here in the city who are also affected," Guerin said.
While funding remains uncertain, Guerin is returning to her early practices by turning to donations with a fundraiser set for September 21.
