Oregon: High in agriculture, and hunger

Oregon ranks at the bottom of U.S. states with respect to hunger. Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture, Oregon (for 1997):

• ranks 9th among states in irrigated cropland (table 6),
• 11th in harvested irrigated cropland (table 7)
• ranks 6th in expenses for hired farm labor (table 15--migrant labor is especially important in the state, because of the orchards and fruit production);
• 20th in cattle and calves sold (table 28);
• 17th in terms of value of crops sold (table 32--suggesting Oregon cultivates more high-value crops);
• Oregon ranked 10th in terms of the value of agricultural products sold directly for human consumption (table 24)--i.e., rather than for processing, transformation into livestock feed, fuel, etc.);
• 15th in dry edible beans (table 63);
• 13th in wheat harvested for grain (table 57);
• 8th in acreage in orchard production (table 79);
• 7th in terms of value of vegetables, sweet corn and melons sold (table 33);
• 7th in barley harvested for grain (table 58);
• 7th in vegetables harvested for sale (table 71);
• 7th in apple production (table 80);
• 7th in grape production (table 84);
• 5th in sweet corn production (table 76);
• 4th in terms of the value of fruits, nuts and berries sold (table 34);
• 4th in potato production (table 66);
• 4th in green pea production (table 75);
• 3rd in cherry production (table 81);
• 3rd in pear production (table 86);
• 3rd in strawberry production (table 89);
• 2nd in plums and prune production (table 87);

Meanwhile, locally

Oregon has a thriving agricultural economy, but the food is apparently going elsewhere. There is hunger amid plenty. As is the case with world hunger, the problem is not a lack of food, it is how it is distributed. Locally:

• Union County has seen an increase in food relief of 10% in the last year;
• An average of 1,652 people receive food boxes each month from food banks (representing 7% of the population);
• 13.8% of the population have incomes under the federal poverty level, suggesting many people who could receive some sort of food aid are not (data from Community Connections of Northeast Oregon).

With budget cuts to social services, as well as cuts in other areas, possibly costing the area economy up to $5 million (Linker, Jan 8), the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better. Cuts in social services mean cuts in staff, higher unemployment, cuts in families' budgets, reduced purchasing power that will affect local businesses, increased burdens on the local hospital that will likely increase health care costs, etc. According to Community Connections, almost half of food bank recipients locally pay 50% of their income for housing. In Oregon food stamp benefits average $71/month/person, less than half of what the USDA calculates to be the cost in its 'low cost meal plan.' Forty-one percent of food stamp recipients are children, and the vast majority of adults on food stamps are working (34%), retired (8%), or disabled (22%) (Oregon Food Bank, 2000).

Community Connections, a member of the Oregon Food Bank Network, plays a critical role in food distribution in the area, distributed 523,800 pounds of food in fiscal year 2002--almost 70,000 pounds more than the previous year.

Here are some data on people served by local food banks for Union and adjacent counties (for 3rd quarter, 2002):

Focusing more narrowly on food stamps in La Grande:

A look over time, beginning in 1995, shows considerable fluctuation in the number of people on food stamps. The month to month numbers are probably less meaningful than the year to year fluctuations. For instance, it is likely that the hunger situation for some households changes during the summer, when school is not in session and the school lunch program may not be taken advantage of. A look at school lunches for the 2002-03 school year shows the following:

In addition, the sharp increases in food stamps begin well before September 11, 2001. What was happening at the time the increases began with the economy in Oregon (and Portland)?