COMES TO CANADIAN EXPORTS. CUTS AT THE USDA HAVE LOCAL FARMERS FEELING A PINCH. SMALL AREA FARMS ARE PIVOTING AS A RESULT. KMBC NINE ARISA WHITE IS GETTING ANSWERS FROM A LOCAL FARMER WONDERING ABOUT WHAT’S NEXT. I THINK PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CREATIVE. THESE CUTS HIT CLOSE TO HOME AT FAMILY OWNED FARMS LIKE KC, WINCO. USDA GRANTS HELPED THEM GET STARTED. NOW THEY WORRY ABOUT FUTURE OWNERS. THE GRANTS THAT WE RECEIVED WHEN WE FIRST STARTED WERE HONESTLY LIFE CHANGING. THEY HELPED OUT A LOT. AND THEN WE’VE ALSO RECEIVED A GRANT THAT HELPS US WITH EQUIPMENT. SO THINGS LIKE A BOTTLING LINE THAT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO ON OUR OWN, THAT HELPED SUPPLEMENT OUR ABILITY TO DO THAT. BOTH TAYLOR AND HER BROTHER ELI PLAN TO KEEP IT IN THEIR FAMILY. ALTHOUGH FAMILY OWNED FARMS ARE ON THE DECLINE, THEY HAVE HOPE. I’M HOPING THAT MORE SMALL FARMS KIND OF LIKE US, CAN START POPPING UP AND KIND OF HELP THE KANSAS CITY AREA ALL ACROSS THE NATION. BUT IT’S NOT JUST THE GRANTS. ACCORDING TO THE USDA’S 2022 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE, THE U.S. HAS LOST OVER 140,000 FARMS IN JUST FIVE YEARS. THAT’S A 6.9% DECREASE FROM 2017, WHICH PUTS EVEN MORE STRAIN ON SMALLER FARMS. TOM RUGGIERI WITH FAIR SHARE FARMS SAYS HE’S WORRIED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE IN AMERICA. IT’S HURTING A LOT OF LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS, LOCAL AGRICULTURE, LOCAL AGRICULTURE PROVIDES A LOT OF FOOD ACCESS TO INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE IT’S CLOSE BY. HE SAYS IT’S TIME TO PIVOT. MY HOPE IS THAT WE CAN GROW, THAT WE CAN BRING THIS MESSAGE THAT THE THE FOOD THAT’S GROWN LOCALLY USING REGENERATIVE AND ORGANIC PRACTICES. IT’S THE BEST FOOD YOU CAN BUY. SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WERE AFFECTED IN THESE CUTS INCLUDE ENVIRONMENTAL GRANTS, RENEWABLE ENERGY, LOCAL FOOD PROMOTION PROGRAMS, AND BEGINNER FARM DEVELOPMENT. REPORTING IN KEARNY. DARRIUS WHITE, KMBC NINE NEWS. MISSOURI STATE REP YOLANDA YOUNG, DEMOCRAT OF KANSAS CITY, IS WORKING ON A BILL TO GIVE STATE MONEY TO FARMERS HELPING