Food & Agriculture

A group of local urban farmers is calling on area residents and policymakers to support farmers amid high food prices.

Miami Valley Meals began feeding food insecure Dayton area residents early in the pandemic. Now, the group of former culinary professionals who founded the nonprofit are marking its third anniversary with a special event at Second Street Market.

Participants in the federal food program might want to reevaluate their eligibility level for SNAP — and consider other assistance programs — as a pandemic-era supplement ends this month.

Low-income families in Ohio have been receiving additional food stamp benefits for the last two years. Food banks across the state expect a surge as the federal pandemic aid ends.

Over 40,000 households in Montgomery County enrolled in SNAP — formerly known as food stamps — have, on average, received $90 more per person, per month since 2020. Although the temporary boost to SNAP benefits will end in March.

Hunger-Free Schools Ohio Coalition is lobbying state legislators to cover the cost of school meals for all public school students. That’s because last summer, a federal pandemic-era waiver that provided universal free school meals for all students expired.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced food products infused with CBD don’t meet federal safety standards and is asking Congress to intervene. The announcement comes five years after the federal government legalized the cultivation of hemp through the 2018 Farm Bill.

The Agraria Center for Regenerative Practice, a Yellow Springs nonprofit that focuses on sustainable farming, will be going on hiatus, WYSO confirmed Thursday.

Those who work with low-income Ohioans say they're concerned about the end of the pandemic boost for SNAP benefits as well another change coming at the close of the COVID-19 health emergency.

Farm Action, a farmer advocacy group, has accused big egg producers of price gouging, including Versova Holdings that manages a farm based in Ohio. The group wants the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on the egg industry.