Farmers raise food; why would any farmer have to resort to using food stamps?
The fundamental mission of the Food Stamp Program is to help low-income people buy food to improve their diets. A related purpose of the program is to increase the number of agricultural products which are purchased by providing those without adequate income the means to do so. In some cases, it is a good business decision for a qualified farm family to use food stamps. The Food Stamp Program is administered by the USDA–the same agency that holds the Buschkoetters’ FmHA operating loan. The extra income that food stamp benefits add to a farm’s “family living” category in the farm business plan on their loan application may tip the lender’s scale in favor of the farmer when making the decision whether or not to grant a loan.
