As the growing season starts to hit full bloom, our local growers may be closely watched.
The Farm Service Agency, or the FSA, is proposing an office cut of 200 across the nation to try and reduce costs, according to a press release from Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter.
On April 10, 2014, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte and Representatives Annie Kuster and Carol Shea-Porter sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack regarding President Obama’s fiscal year 2015 budget plan.
The proposed plan is to cut 200 FSA offices to modernize the program and reduce spending but the New Hampshire FSA has already condensed their offices.
The letter said if the plan goes through, N.H. farms could lose supportive services, such as loans, financial planning and disaster assistance.
Erin D’Aleo / Graphics Editor
In the letter Shaheen, Ayotte, Kuster and Shea-Porter said, “In fact, USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture unveiled that while farms have declined four percent nationally over the past five years, New Hampshire’s small and diverse farms actually grew by five percent over the same period.”
They also stated these services play an important role in sustaining and growing New Hampshire’s proud tradition of small family farms.
Josef Quirinale, general manager for the dining services at KSC, said the Zorn Dining Commons at serves around 7,000 meals a day.
With that many meals needed, Quirinale said the department makes sure their suppliers have reputable producers who follow certain guidelines.
“We know the food is fresh because it comes from New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. We understand growing season is short so we work hard to invest in our local supplies,” Quirinale stated.
In regards to the letter, Quirinale agreed with the content and said the number of farms the DC receives supplies from has only grown over the last few years.
“Around fifteen to twenty farms provide food for us on local day but we have local foods every day in the dining commons” Quirinale said.
He added the dairy products used are from the New England region, Elm City Bagel located in Keene provides bagels, and bread is from the Massachusetts area.
The DC is not the only way KSC is involved locally with these farms. President of KSC Campus Ecology, Kelly Marchione said the group’s purpose is to promote a community state of mind.
Marchione added the club also works to have people keep their money invested in the local opportunities.
Marchione said she has been a member of the Campus Ecology for four years at KSC and added if the FSA were to cut these offices, the members’ duties would shift greatly.
“We work with the Keene businesses and farms and that supports our duties as part environmental activists as well,” Marchione stated.
She added things like SolarFest, happening Saturday, April 26, at KSC, would be altered to a degree. SolarFest, stated Marchione, is a way to get campus and the community involved with each other and to get people aware of their surroundings.
Marchione added although there is a sense of community awareness with local day or SolarFest, she believes awareness will be affected as well with the cuts.
Marchione stated if the cuts were to happen, Campus Ecology would work with those farms and businesses affected so they could still be sustainable.
“As a club, we would volunteer free labor and help make people appreciate where their food comes from,” Marchione said.
Marchione added she hopes the future students start having a voice for the sake of our local resources.
As the work-study analysis continues, Quirinale also stays positive.
Quirinale said he does not think KSC will be affected by these FSA cuts if they were to happen and he added, in the future he hopes to see KSC sustaining a vegetable supply on the rooftop of the DC.
Quirinale and Marchione are not alone with their positivity and hope for these farms — Shaheen, Ayotte, Kuster and Shea-Porter are hopeful, too.
These individuals emphasized this in the previously-mentioned letter and stated, “When conducting your work-study analysis over the next year, we ask that you consider the unique and critical value that the New Hampshire FSA offices provide to our growing population of farmers.”
Haley Erdbrink can be contacted at herdbrink@keene-equinox.com