Good afternoon,

Sweet potatoes, squash, and brussels sprouts – oh my! Fall festivities are in full swing and fall foods are hitting the shelves now that it's mid-October. Visit a nearby farm to pick apples or pumpkins perfect for pie-making or stop by a farmers' market for some local, seasonal produce that will get you in the mood to hang Halloween decorations and rewatch your favorite spooky movies.

A HOUSE IN DISARRAY

• While we're on the subject of horror movies, the will-they-won't-they of the House speaker elections has been part dark comedy, part thriller. Today's first attempt to elect a Speaker of the House of Representatives once again failed to go anywhere, as votes for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, fell short.

• Time is fleeting: Congress only has a month to pass 12 appropriations bills to keep the government running – one of which is the critical Agriculture-FDA bill. Without a speaker, the House has a narrowing window to get all bills across the finish line.

• They've already allowed the Farm Bill to lapse, putting several programs on pause, including conservation programs and safety net enrollments, as well as a ban on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card processing fees. The lapsed ban could raise costs for grocery stores, hike food prices, and discourage them from participating in federal food assistance programs.

• A new Farm Bill or at least an extension must be passed by December 31, when funding will run out entirely and agriculture programs will revert to permanent law that was authored in the early 1930s and '40s. Rural America deserves better – it needs a Farm Bill that will help bring communities the infrastructure and amenities of the 21st century. See OCP's priorities for the new Farm Bill here.

LET THEM LUNCH

• Last week, the nation celebrated National School Lunch Week. The National School Lunch Program serves nearly 30 million children every school day, reducing childhood hunger (and supporting American agriculture at the same time).

• In 2020, the federal government extended free lunches to all schools to preserve food security during the pandemic. That program, along with the pandemic-era SNAP benefits and the child tax credit extension – all of which have been effective in reducing child hunger and poverty – has now ended. The child poverty rate more than doubled, from 5.2 percent in 2021 to 12.4 percent in 2022.

• Eight states – California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont – have taken matters into their own hands and passed Healthy School Meals for All (HSMFA) policies so that all students can eat breakfast and lunch for free at school. HSMFA policies help to ensure that children are healthy and well-prepared to receive an education.

• Plus, last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture expanded the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows schools to provide meals at no cost depending on how many people in a school's community use income-dependent federal assistance programs. The latest rule lowered the threshold from 40 percent of students who live in assisted households to 25 percent. Find out if schools in your community qualify for CEP!

• OCP founder former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp appeared on CNBC's Last Call to discuss Venezuelan sanctions and U.S. energy prices.

• New York Times: Israel and Palestinians Blame Each Other for Blast at Gaza Hospital That Killed Hundreds
• NPR: Are rural Americans turning against US support of Ukraine?
• USA Today: Maternity units closing in Alabama: Pregnant women have to travel further for care
• WUNC: In rural Mitchell County, telehealth thrives in one town, falters in another
• KOSU: Oklahoma military families could soon get financial help for child care services
• Pennsylvania Capital-Star: States are trying to prop up the child care industry. It isn't enough.
• New York Times: How a Fertilizer Shortage Is Spreading Desperate Hunger
• Bloomberg: Florida's Battered Orange Growers Are Cashing In on a Housing Boom

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