Davids Continues Farm Bill Listening Tour in Wyandotte County

KANSAS CITY, KS — Today, Representative Sharice Davids continued her Farm Bill listening tour in Wyandotte County, visiting the KC Farm School at Gibbs Road and meeting with community leaders to discuss nutrition and food assistance programs. The tour will continue at farms, ranches, and businesses across the Third District as Davids prepares to consider the 2023 Farm Bill through her position on the House Agriculture Committee. This package of legislation is typically renewed every five years and determines federal agriculture and nutrition policy impacting Kansas families both urban and rural.

"This week, I've gotten to chat with agricultural leaders in Johnson and Wyandotte counties as part of my listening tour to make sure I'm prepared for the upcoming Farm Bill discussion in Congress," said Davids. "I enjoyed the discussion today on ensuring access to nutritious food, a critical part of our food system and key to supporting healthy families and a healthy community. I'll continue listening and learning from Kansans in all parts of the Kansas Third to make sure their voices are heard in Washington."

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Rep. Sharice Davids hosts a Farm Bill listening session in Wyandotte County on nutrition programs in the Farm Bill.

Along with the members of the KC Farm School, Davids was joined by representatives from Cultivate KC, Kansas Appleseed, Harvesters, After the Harvest, El Centro, the Kansas Department of Children and Families, and Nourish KC. They discussed nutrition programs reauthorized by the Farm Bill, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps nearly 200,000 Kansans put food on the table for their children and live healthier lives.

"It was amazing to host Rep. Davids and so many local organizations working on nutrition at the KC Farm School today, said Lydia Nebel, Farm Director, KC Farm School. "I can point to the many ways the Farm Bill is benefiting our community with more working famers, more food production, and more community development. These Farm Bill programs are incredibly important and it's amazing to see Rep. Davids continuing to support them and our community."

"It was great to come together to talk about the importance of the Farm Bill, which affects not only Wyandotte County, but the entire country," said Karen Seibert, Advocacy & Public Policy Advisor, Harvesters. "This bill is unique because it ensures nutritious food is available to Kansans of all income levels through SNAP, one of the most powerful tools for addressing hunger in our community. I was glad to share Harvesters' mission - to create equitable access to nutritious food and address the root causes and impact of hunger."

"Today's conversation on nutrition programs in the Farm Bill with Rep. Davids was wonderful," said Hayley Kottler, Campaign Director, Kansas Appleseed. "Because one in ten Kansans are food insecure, Kansas Appleseed focuses heavily on SNAP food assistance. We must do everything we can in the Farm Bill to ensure more Kansans have access to food in our state."

"El Centro believes healthy food access for low-income families, like the ones we serve in Wyandotte and Johnson countries is essential in promoting health equity in our communities," said Erica Andrade, Chief Program Officer, El Centro.

The KC Farm School is the seventh stop on Davids' listening tour, following her tour in Johnson County earlier this week. The KC Farm School, established in 2018, is a 14-acre urban farm in southern Wyandotte County. Through hands-on vocational experiences, workshops, apprenticeships, and school and community partnerships, they work to connect Kansans of all ages to the food growing process. All food and educational programming are provided through a "pay what you can" model.

As part of her Farm Bill listening tour, Davids previously visited a poultry and meat farm in Anderson County, a co-op in Franklin County, and a no-till farm in Miami County. Last year, Davids hosted U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretaries Jennifer Lester Moffitt and Xochitl Torres Small for visits to the Third District to learn about the area's meatpacking and dairy industries, respectively. She was also named a Friend of the Farm Bureau by the Kansas Farm Bureau in 2022.