Idaho farmers, ranchers helping feed the hungry

By Sean Ellis

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

POCATELLO – In addition to helping drive Idaho’s economy, the state’s farmers and ranchers are also helping feed hungry Idahoans.

The impact that Idaho’s agricultural sector has on the state’s economy is well-known and documented through University of Idaho studies. Lesser known is the impact that producers are having in helping those Idahoans who are “food-insecure” know where their next meal is coming from.

For example, the state’s dairy industry the past three years has provided tens of thousands of gallons of milk to Idaho food banks and supports fundraisers and activities that raise a substantial amount of money that is given to food banks to purchase dairy products.

Milk is one of the most requested but least available items at food banks, said Cindy Miller, a spokeswoman for Dairy West, which represents Idaho dairy operators.

“For us to be able to supply food banks with that nutritious product for families is a really big deal and something the state’s dairy farmers support whole-heartedly,” she said. “They feel very passionate about supporting their communities and helping feed the hungry.”

Idaho’s famous potato farmers also help feed the needy in a big way.

Members of the Idaho Grower Shippers Association, which represents potato farmers and shippers, last year provided 13.5 million pounds of spuds to the Feeding America Network, which works with the Idaho Food Bank and other groups to provide food to those who are food-insecure and don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

Those donations were enough to provide 11 million meals total, or 30,751 meals per day, in 25 states, according to Feeding America Network officials. 

IGPA members also provide two truckloads worth of potatoes, as well as cash donations, each year to the Idaho Food Bank.

The IGPA coordinates those donations but the spuds come from growers and fresh packing sheds, said IGPA President Shawn Boyle.

Boyle said that when the food bank calls him to request some potatoes, he calls a potato shed and the typical response he gets is like this: “How can we help and how many pallets of potatoes can we give you?”

“These guys are extremely generous, especially when it comes to helping our communities and feeding hungry people,” Boyle said. “It’s something our members are proud of, that we’re working to make a difference and giving back to our communities. That makes me proud to be part of the Idaho potato industry.”

Idaho’s cattle industry provides a lot of protein to hungry Idahoans through the Idaho Beef Council’s Beef Counts program, which converts donated funds or live animals into beef products that are distributed to Idahoans in need.

The program is a partnership between the Idaho Cattle Association, IBC, Idaho CattleWomen Council, Agri Beef Co. and Idaho Food Bank.

Since it was started in 2010, the program has provided more than 1,000,000 3-ounce servings of beef to hungry Idahoans, according to IBC.

“The Beef Counts program is a great way to give back to the community,” said Trish Dowton, a central Idaho rancher and secretary/treasurer of the IBC board of directors. “As a rancher, I believe strongly in the quality and commitment that goes into producing beef and beef products in this state. As a good neighbor, I and other ranchers want to make sure that all Idahoans have access to the nutrient-dense protein of our beef.”

The IBC also raises thousands of dollars for the food bank through a host of other activities and events.

Besides helping to provide milk and other dairy products to hungry Idahoans, Dairy West also provides a lot of nutrition education resources, said Jaclyn St. John, a registered dietitian and the organization’s health and wellness manager.

That includes providing free nutrition education materials to all educators and health professionals in Idaho and Utah.

Dairy West also provides funding to schools to help them increase access to and consumption of nutrient rich foods, including dairy products.

The group, which is funded by the state’s 490 dairy operations, provided $249,000 to Idaho schools last year in the form of nutrition grants they could use to purchase things like kiosks, milk coolers, and blenders to increase dairy items on their menus.

Idaho’s dairy families have also provided $1.2 million to schools since 2010 through the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, a national initiative that encourages kids to eat healthy and perform some type of physical activity for at least 60 minutes each day.

By supporting youth wellness initiatives, Dairy West is instilling healthy eating habits in young people’s lives, which will only increase dairy consumption and help the dairy industry in the long run, St. John said.

But it’s also the right thing to do, she added.

“Dairy farm families are committed to building a healthy, high-achieving generation of youth,” she said. “The dairymen are so generous and committed to that work.”