DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley told Local 5 News last week that Congress will likely not pass a new five-year farm bill before the end of the year.
This means progress on the bill may not be seen until the upcoming legislative session.
The farm bill Sen. Grassley mentioned is top of mind for many Iowans with people in the agricultural industry pushing for it, but they aren't the only ones.
Food insecurity is on the rise in central Iowa, and as the farm bill's future remains unclear, CEO of the Food Bank of Iowa Michelle Book is calling on legislators to make a decision.
"It's vitally important that our lawmakers get to work and complete and sign a farm bill," Book told Local 5 News.
Book said 30% of what the bank distributes comes from the USDA Commodity Program, one of the agencies affected by the farm bill.
"If we're not getting the food from the USDA, we have to go out into the market, compete with big grocery retailers and purchase that food, and then pay freight to get that food here," she said.
The food bank fears it could become a reality.
"We see both USDA possibly declining next year, we hope not at a time when donations are also declining because processors and manufacturers and retailers are trying to tighten up their bottom line, it's vitally important that we continue to receive USDA support at the same or additional levels than what we're seeing today," Book said.
Wesleylife's Meals on Wheels program does not receive their funding through the farm bill, though employees said the decision does affect their operations.
"We know that the farm bill is critical because any changes to benefits through SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or other services impacts people's access to food and when you may have more limited access you're going to other sources and we believe our demand would increase," Weslylife representative Shannon Draayer said.
Wesleylife is also calling on legislators to make a decision fast.
"I think it's important for legislators and anyone in a leadership position to see the impact of our work," Draayer said.