Tag Archives: USA

$5 Billion Is A Lot, But It Isn’t

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According to NPR’s food blog, The Salt, the local food movement looks like much more than a passing fad. An analysis by the United States Department of Agriculture reported that American farmers (those local men and women we’re always talking about) are selling $4.8 billion in products in local markets, which is great news and a ton of money. Except when you realize that it’s only two percent of total American agricultural sales. What’s the 98 percent? Commodity crops like soybeans and corn.

Commodity crops and the US Farm Bill are connected like peanut butter and jelly. The Farm Bill is up for renewal in 2012 and could be rewritten as early as November 23, 2011, according to our friends at Nourish. From the Nourish blog:

The potential to improve our current food policy is being challenged by a select group of Senate and House agriculture committees who propose $23 billion in cuts to federal spending on some of the most important programs related to nutrition and the future of small-scale, local, and organic farming. 

Watch this new video from Nourish featuring Michael Pollan, and visit the Nourish website to learn more about what you can do (in addition to voting local with your food dollars).

New Census Bureau Numbers Increase U.S. Poverty Percentages

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49.1 million.  That’sthe new number of how many millions of Americans are living in poverty from thenew Supplemental Poverty Measure report provided by the Census Bureau.

The Bureau’s new poverty supplement shows a much morecomplex model of determining poverty figures taking into account expenses the originalmeasure didn’t account for when created in the 1960s.  The new census measure includes the expensessuch as increased costs of childcare, medical expenses and an increase in thestandard of living.
By using the new measure, 16 percent of Americans (49.1 million) live in poverty. Those numbers are up from the 15.2 percent (46.2million) released in September by the Bureau.
The largest increases in Americans who are living in povertyare those 65 or older, who have higher medical costs.  The official 9percent that was announced in September has been increased to 15.9 percent after the new measure.
Those who are considered in the working-age adults range, ages18-64, also saw a spike in poverty from the official 13.7 percent to the new15.2 percent after the new measure was taken. The main reasoning behind povertyin this age is the cost of commuting and child-care.
With the new measure taking into account medical expenses,commuting and child care costs; it also takes into account key government policies that alter the disposable income available to families. These programsinclude in-kind public benefit programs such as the Food StampProgram/Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These programs allowfamilies who qualify to free up their earned resources to spend on nonfood items for theirfamilies. The poverty rate would have risen to 17.7 percent if we didn’t have programs like SNAP. 
This new measure is still in progress, with the Bureau needing to add additional data before it can publish more information. It is alarming, though, that 49.1 million people in the United States are living under conditions where their income–even combined with public assistance programs–isn’t enough.
If you’d like to read the entire report, check it out here. Let us know in the comment section what you think about poverty in the U.S. and how can we all work together to end it. 

1 in 15 Americans are Considered Poorest of the Poor

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In September, the Census Bureau report released that 46.2 million Americans were living in poverty. That is 1 in every 6 U.S. citizens, an alarming number of people for a country listed as the world’s richest. Today it was announced that 20.5 million Americans–1 in 15 persons–are the poorest of the poor by United States standards.

Extreme poverty in the United States is defined as those living at 50 percent or below the federal poverty level. The poverty level in 2010 was an anual income of $22,314 for a family of four. The income level of a family of four who is considered the poorest of poor is $11,157 or less.

Almost half of those living in poverty are living in extreme poverty. The poverty numbers are increasing across all areas of the country. When broken down by region, the South sees higher poverty in states like Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia; but high-poverty areas are also starting to grow to the industrial Midwest and Sun Belt areas.

Those living in high-poverty neighborhoods (where more than 40 percent of residents are below poverty) in a large metropolitan area saw a jump from 11.2 percent in 2000 to 15.1 percent in 2010.  In comparison, those who live in high-poverty neighborhoods in the suburbs rose by 41 percent compared to  2000.

Americans living in poverty might not be what you’d expect to see. Working-age Americans  - ages 18 to 64 – now represent nearly 3 out of 5 Americans who live in poverty.

More information will be released next week with additional demographics of exactly who is poverty in America. Stay tuned, this conversation is far from over.

Happy Birthday, Heifer Ranch

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This past Saturday we celebrated the 40th anniversary of Heifer Ranch.

A Brief History of Heifer Ranch

Abu, a 5-year-old male camel, was presented to
Heifer Ranch as a birthday gift from Overlook Farm
in Rutland, Massachusetts.

Heifer International dates back to 1944, with an inaugural shipment of 17 pregnant heifers to Puerto Rico. In 1971, Heifer was offered 1,100 acres near Perryville, Arkansas, to raise and house animals being shipped overseas to those in need. The model of shipping animals fromt he United States, however, turned out to be very costly and inefficient and was later discontinued in favor of purchasing livestock from within the project countries. Through the years, Heifer Ranch has evolved into an education and research center, a model farm and ranch, a conference center and a volunteer experience. The farm is now home to water buffalo, camels, pigs and goats, as well as gardens that help feed volunteers and the public. School groups, youth groups, families and individuals have come to the Ranch to experience what it really means to live in a poverty-stricken village with scarce resources. Visitors are introduced to Heifer’s sustainable solutions and learn more about what they can do to help.

The Celebration
Friday night held a Homecoming Tour and Reception for Past Ranchers (staff and volunteers). Three of the past Ranch directors were on hand to help celebrate. It was great to see old friends, but hard to see how the landscape has changed since the tornado this spring.

Jacob Sheatsley leads a drum circle in the Global Village

Saturday was an all-day party. There were crafts and activities for the kids, demonstrations along the Global Village trail, a picnic lunch, hayride tours, birthday cake and a special gift from Overlook Farm, one of Heifer’s other Learning Centers. Visitors had the opportunity to meet some of Heifer’s country directors, who have been in town for meetings.



My Brief History at Heifer Ranch
Heifer Ranch is how I first came to know and love Heifer International. I participated in the Global Village program (now called Global Gateway) when I was 14 years old. Growing up in Little Rock and attending college in Conway, Arkansas, I went to the Ranch several more times as a participant before deciding to become a volunteer. During college summers and after graduating, I spent a total of about 12 months as a live-in volunteer. I became impassioned with Heifer’s mission of ending hunger and poverty and caring for the Earth as I led field trips, facilitated group team-building activities, milked goats, taught cheese classes and became a part of the Ranch community. I met my husband and a great many of my friends at Heifer Ranch.

A volunteer shows how farming on terraced slopes
 helps prevent erosion

Heifer Ranch holds a special place in my heart, so I was excited to take my daughter to Perryville this past weekend to join in the celebrations. She loved the animals, of course. Petting the pigs, lambs and goats in the showbarn was certainly a highlight. But it’s Abu the camel she’ll go on talking about. And the cupcakes and candy (she is a kid, after all). I’m so glad my daughter will grow up learning about Heifer’s work in the world and knowing that she has a place in making the world a better place for everyone to live. And I’m thankful we have Heifer Ranch just down the road where her learning will be hands-on and exciting, not to mention a piece of her family’s history.

Heifer Staff Lend a Hand in Hughes, Arkansas

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Continuing today’s conversation about poverty in Heifer’s homestate, we take you to Hughes, Arkansas, which has a poverty rate of 38 percent. This past Monday, Heifer Headquarters staff, visiting Country Directors and Heifer’s United States Program staff took a road trip to Hughes to lend a hand cleaning up the Mildred Jackson Elementary School for a Day of Service with Hughes citizens. Heifer Copywriter Falguni Vyas was among the staff to participate, and she shares the following reflection.

Hughes,Arkansas: a small blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town located in the Arkansas delta wasonce an agricultural boomtown. At its height, Hughes was a town of 1,900people, a mix of sharecroppers and farmers that put the town on the map as anagricultural hotspot in northeastern Arkansas.
Today,Hughes tells a much different story.
Now,there are more stray dogs than people, more abandoned or run down buildingsthen there are live-able habitats. It’s a town that as little as two years agoechoed a pre-civil rights America (not that racial tension has completelydisappeared today). It’s a town in desperate need to find itself and regain itsformer glory.
Hugheshas become yet another fallen soldier to the mechanization of the agriculturalindustry as well as the dearth of support America’s small farmers receive.Whatever food is produced in the area is normally sent out to the big buyers,leaving little to no healthy food choices for those who grow it. In addition,there are few options for the town’s small farmers as land is expensive anddifficult to acquire. The big farmers in Hughes (and there are a few verysuccessful ones out there) employ very few people, making employment hard tocome by. The town’s economic mainstay? Public assistance.
Whenthe industry started to collapse, many of the town’s small farmers left,leaving the sharecroppers to take over. Because this segment of Hughes’population had so little training, the area went into rapid decline.
“Lackof leadership is the biggest problem in the delta,” said mayor Larry Owens.Owens, the first black mayor in Hughes, has only been in office for 10 months.A Vietnam War veteran, in his past life he also served as a special agent withFish and Wildlife Services with the Department of the Interior. He moved toHughes with his wife five years ago and was appalled by what he saw. With a lotof know-how and more can-do spirit than your average person, he has made it hismission to restore Hughes to its rightful place.
HeiferInternational’s United States Program, several visiting Country Directors fromaround the globe, and Headquarters staff from various departments joined Hughesfor a day of service this past Monday. The event kicked off at 11 am with apress junket, where Mayor Owens, representatives of the state, Heifer and othernonprofit partners said a few words in honor of the shared goals of creating betterfood options, developing the local economy and preserving local naturalresources.
Day of Service Volunteers
Heiferstaff rolled up their sleeves alongside Hughes citizens and got down and dirty.Armed with saws, brooms and a few machetes, these agents of change spent anafternoon clearing away weeds, trash and debris from the Mildred JacksonElementary School.
Hughes community volunteers at work
Heifer staff members Jason Woods, Suzanne Munson
and Gretchen Schirmer bag trash at the end of the day
Translator Sam DuBois takes out the trash 
Hughes Mayor Larry Owens and Heifer
United States Program Director Perry Jones
“It’simportant to recognize that dire poverty exists here in the United States aswell as in developing countries,” said Perry Jones, director of Heifer’s United States Program. “Heifer’s model encourages long-term changes to take hold in acommunity so that healthy food becomes more accessible for everyone.”

When Poverty Touches Home

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Though I wasn’t born in Arkansas, I’ve lived here since I was four and consider it my home. Growing up in a small town, I’ve witnessed poverty and hunger with classmates, participated in local food drives, and had my parents teach me valuable lessons on how to give to others. When I decided to go to college, the best fit for me seemed to be Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, AR. 


In college it’s harder to know the hunger and poverty around you. As a college student, everyone seems broke and hungry. Even though I was a little more removed from actually seeing those going through hunger hardships than I was growing up, I continued participating in food drives with local college clubs. 


If you keep up with the Heifer blog then you see the Weekly Article Roundup blog where I try to discuss blogs that we’ve written here, other articles that we pass around the office and current trends in the world. Yesterday, I received this article about America’s Poorest Cities, and two of the cities on the list were in Arkansas. After reading it, I knew that I didn’t want to wait until Friday to post it.


Here recently, I’ve discussed U.S. poverty a couple of different times. The fact that 1 out of 6 persons in America is living in poverty, how 14.7 million children currently live in poverty, and how Heifer has just recently participated in the first Little Rock Heathy Food and Active Living Summit. 


Working at Heifer, I know there is a lot of poverty in the U.S. and globally, but when it is pointed out in the town you spent four years in, it’s a little shocking. My college town of Jonesboro, AR was number eight on the list, while number two was Pine Bluff, AR, which is just around 30 minutes from Little Rock, AR, where Heifer has its headquarters. I was a little stunned to say the least. 


Jonesboro, AR, with a population of 120,365, has a median household income of $35,526, and 25.5% of the population lives below the federal poverty line. Around 2.6 million people in the U.S. slipped below the poverty line in 2010, which is defined by an income of $22,314 for a family of four. In Pine Bluff, AR, which has a population of 99,871, the median household income is $33,446, and more than 22% of the city’s residents live below the poverty line. 


Many times it’s hard to see hunger, and unless you’re experiencing it, it can be easy to forget. So how do we all take responsibility to help end hunger in our communities? Begin to learn the facts in your hometowns. Find out what the need is. Spread the word that hunger happens to more people than we know. 


Check out www.heifer.org/usa to see what Heifer is doing to help end hunger in the U.S. 

This Week in Food: Food on the Move

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This October, we’re hosting a series of posts by Heifer Senior Coordinator of School Programs Kim Machnik. You can read our introductory post here, and check back Monday afternoons for more.

Haveyou been hearing a lot about food recently? I don’t just mean here on theHeifer blog, where we’ve been highlighting food issues and resources throughoutthe month. It used to be that most food conversations ran along a fewconsistent lines: great recipes or restaurants, what to eat to lose weight, andoccasionally the plight of those without enough to eat. Recently, though, thereseems to have been a shift in the collective consciousness. Suddenly, peopleseem to be talking a LOT more about where food comes from, who grows it, whatit does to our bodies, and our right to healthy, safe foods. A movement isafoot, populated by the likes of MichaelPollan, AliceWaters, Anna Lappé,and many more.


Communitiesare declaring food sovereignty, Wal-Mart is participating in UC Berkeley’sEdible Education class, Heifer has launched the Seeds of Changeinitiative to reinvent the food systems of the Arkansas Delta and SouthernAppalachia, and there is a huge push to require labelingof genetically modified foods. People are asking big questions. Who has theright to decide what foods are available to us? What kinds of farming are safe,healthy, just, and sustainable? What is a fair price to pay for food we canfeel good about? What is the government’s role in ensuring our food security?

That’swhy today is such a zeitgeist. It’s Food Day, a celebration of eating real anda call to action for Americans to scrutinize our food systems. Visit their website for Food Day events in yourcity, or find your own way to make today about healthy, sustainable food. Ifyou’re ready to really revolutionize the way your community eats, take a lookat Heifer’s Farmto Plate action idea.


Thismovement is in a position to change the way the US and the world think aboutand engage with food. As it gains momentum, we all have the opportunity todecide what kind of food world we want, and be part of the change that makes itso.

Food Day in the USA: How are you Celebrating?

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is hosting US Food Day today. Food Day seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable way. The goal of Food Day is to not just raise awareness about the food we put in our bodies but also where we purchase our food.

We’ve discussed before how 1 in 6 Americas are living in poverty, which makes it difficult for them to access healthy, affordable food. Today everyone from parents to teachers to local officials to chefs are joining together to ensure everyone has access to healthy, sustainable food.

Food Day is promoting these six principles when it comes to buying your food:


6 Food Day Principles: 
1. Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
2. Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness
3. Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
4. Protect the environment & animals by reforming factory farms
5. Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
6. Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

So what can you do today? Well see if there is an event in your local area you can be a part of today. If not, check out our most recent posts about you can begin to take action in your own life:

- Heifer Ranch Weighs Its Food Waste: You Should, Too
- Eating with the Seasons

What will you do today to be a part of Food Day? Will you visit a local farmers market? Skip the drive-through? Eat a healthier diet of fruit and veggies? Share in the comments below: 

Waste Not, Want Not: Stop Wasting Food

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Today is Blog Action Day 2011. It is also World Food Day. This year’s theme for Blog Action Day is Food. Bloggers all over the world are writing about this one theme, from their own unique perspective. To find out more, visit the Blog Action Day website. Read more of our Blog Action Day posts on Heifer Blog here.

Here’s my disclaimer: my family and I are just as guilty of accidentally letting food go to waste. Typically, it’s produce I’ve purchased from the farmer’s market with very good intentions (I know, I even wrote that blog post about how to stop wasting produce, for shame!). So, this lecture is directed to myself every bit as much as it is to you.

We, the Americans living in the United States, waste 55 million tons of food–40 percent of our food supply–every year. Worldwide, roughly one-third of the food produced is lost or goes to waste. That’s disgusting on several levels. Recently, a software company did some calculations and found that food waste is responsible for 135 million tons of greenhouse gasses each year. That’s 1,800 pounds per average family–400 pounds per individual–every year. That’s not the food we’re eating… 135 million tons of greenhouse gasses per year from food we throw out.

Photo by Dan Bazira

In developing countries, post-harvest food loss is the biggest culprit. Inadequate food storage, poor roads, etc. leads to food going to waste between the field and the plate. While this is a sad fact, especially considering the number of hungry people in developing countries (906 million), these are surmountable obstacles. In Uganda, Heifer participants are building small-scale grain storage containers to protect their harvests from spoilage. Roads can be built. Not only would such investments help cut down on food losses, they could also provide an incentive for farmers to increase their production. If I were a dairy farmer with new roads by which to transport my milk to a milk collection facility or my vegetables to market, I might start raising more livestock or sowing more seeds when I could afford to.

Photo from Flickr/superk8nyc. Creative Commons.

In industrialized countries, food waste comes after it’s hit the grocery store isles, our refrigerators and shelves, and even our plates. With food prices on the rise and 13 million people in the Horn of Africa literally starving, wasting food is an even bigger no-no than usual. Once your checkout at your local store or market, that food is yours. Yours to prepare. Yours to eat. Your responsibility.

How you and I cut down on our household food waste? Well, we can purchase less to begin with. Shop from a grocery list based on a weekly meal plan. We can follow some easy (though sometimes easier written than followed) directions on how to store fresh produce. We can, gasp, lower our standards. I’d hate for anyone to get sick off my advice, but I can tell you I frequently eat leftovers well after “they” tell you to throw them away, and I’m doing just fine. Have a toddler? They don’t know the difference between fresh crackers and stale! Cooked too much for dinner? Invite your neighbors over and make new friends.

Has your food gone bad, despite your efforts? Keep it out of the landfill by composting it. Or get some backyard chickens.

Cut back on greenhouse gas emissions and save some money. That researcher I mentioned above: he found that “if household food waste could be cut in half, a family of four could save $600 a year.” What could you do with $600? I’d suggest a water buffalo, a sheep, a llama, some tree seedlings and a flock of geese.

Weekend Article Roundup

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We have had some exciting news this week at Heifer. We’ve announced our commitment at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting to help 20,250 families in Haiti increase their income with livestock and agriculture training. In light of this news, we’ve also been discussing some of our current work in Haiti on our blog.

As we discussed in last week’s U.S. poverty blog, 1 in 6 Americans are living in poverty. This week, the AP released an interactive map that shows how hard the South has been hit by poverty in the past 30 years.

While I was reading about poverty in America, I came across this Living Wage Calculator that shows how much an individual must earn to support his or her family. The official poverty level income last year was $22,314 for a family of four. If you check out the Living Wage Calculator, you’ll see in Little Rock, Arkansas (where Heifer headquarters is located) the annual income is around $55,028 for a family of four.

A couple of interesting reads over your weekend:

  • Big into social media? Then you might find this list of twenty Twitter users discussing the debate of global development interesting. 
  • Heifer supporter, Nicholas D. Kristof, wrote an article in the New York Times SundayReview about the drought and famine from his recent trip to a refugee camp in Kenya. I don’t want to say too much about his article, but have a tissue ready. 

After you take a look at the articles mentioned above let us know your thoughts in the comment section.