As the federal government shutdown continues, we’re taking a look at how it is impacting farmers and grocery stores across Arkansas.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — As the government shutdown continues and is on track to be the longest shutdown in history, there is a key deadline coming up soon.
On Tuesday, SNAP benefits are typically deposited into the SNAP accounts of recipients across Arkansas.
However, the Trump administration announced that it will use contingency funds to fund half of SNAP benefits after a decision from a Rhode Island judge ruled that the administration must either provide full benefits to recipients or draw from the SNAP contingency fund.
As the shutdown continues and the clock still ticks, some families have turned to the community for help. Some grocery stores are also now looking at their busiest month potentially without a part of their expected income.
“It starts about six o’clock. [We] start loading these bags and boxes and get everything ready for them. And I started out with my own squash and cucumbers and green beans and okra, and zucchini. And then we said, well, they need some more stuff, you know, something more supplemental,” explained Rex Barnhill with Barnhill Orchards.
Barnhill Orchards in Lonoke has given away over 2,000 pounds of food just on Monday and over the weekend alone to those who have been impacted the most by the disruption in SNAP benefits.
With the late crops from this year, Barnhill said that with the excess food, he knew exactly where to turn.
“I had been donating quite a bit of stuff to, basically, almost, you know, I don’t know, it was probably 40 boxes twice a week of 40-pounders. And, you know, it’s almost 3,000 pounds of product to the Little Rock Food Bank. And I said, well, why can’t we do that to the locals here? You know, I didn’t, I didn’t think it was coming back over here, very much of it. And so that’s the reason why I started this one here. And then I didn’t think it was going to be this busy. I didn’t know we had that big of a need, and in the county here,” Barnhill said.
The Barnhill family said that they are going to continue to help out their neighbors for as long as they can to help those who come to their drive-through towards the end of the growing season.
“I was hoping to be able to sell those, which I was doing a little bit, but I wasn’t come October, there wasn’t any more money for anybody. And so, I said, Well, geez. And I did a lot of donating that month, and I said, Well, we’re going to take care of our own people,” Barnhill added.
For grocery stores, the shutdown poses a potential loss in revenue as well as potential problems with produce.
“I think the biggest percentage of any of our members that I’ve talked to is about 30% of a normal month’s business. Some as low as, you know, four to 5% so depending on the area of the state, the impact could be more there against some parts of the state. It’s going to be a severe impact,” explained Steve Goode, the Executive Director for the Arkansas Retailers Association.
With Thanksgiving around the corner, Goode said that some stores have already ordered produce for the holiday based on projections that didn’t include the shutdown.
Now the fear of wasting food lingers.
“I think you will see retailers, they’ll start to make adjustments, you know, but the growers have grown for this time of year, the wholesalers have placed orders for this time of year, the buyers have made those orders, you know, weeks or months in advance, and the growers have grown for this time of year,” said Goode. “So if that disruption continues, there could be a real, you know, a real glut of fresh food again. We’re hoping that the impasse is almost over again.”
While Barnhill Orchards has not asked anyone for money, they have asked for people to help out those who are impacted by the government shutdown, to help within your own community, and also to help your neighbors.
When it comes to SNAP benefits in Arkansas, DHS is still waiting to hear further instructions from the USDA about the partial SNAP benefits in Arkansas.
We will continue to follow the government shutdown and the impacts on SNAP.
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