SNOOP DOGG: Martha's never had a bite of government cheese in her life. At a time when American families are under increasing financial pressure, their Government cannot sit by and watch millions of pounds of food turn into waste, Reagan said in a written statement. Using Kansas City's underground caves to age cheese could be boon to region's cheese makers It still didn't seem right but I went ahead and drove into the cave. And so they pass a law saying that they want the price of milk to go up automatically every six months. But here is why government cheese has become a kind of parable of how government intervention in markets can have this, like, butterfly effect. JUNOT DIAZ: Clear the government cheese from the refrigerator. We hope so. By: Anne D Springfield and Kansas City are not even near each other, and 435 is no where near Springfield, this article is quite confusing. Fortunately, the rock here is soft enough to scratch something out without a lot of effort. DUFFIN: Finding a market for this stuff is in fact a pretty fascinating puzzle because getting rid of government surplus anything is an economically tricky thing. Government cheese is processed cheese provided to welfare beneficiaries Food Stamp recipients and the elderly receiving Social Security in the United States as well as to food banks. Last year, the U.S. produced nearly 12 billion pounds of cheese -- an all-time high, according to the USDA. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Are there any fascinating abandoned buildings in Missouri? Starting around the 1950s, investors started finding ways to use the abandoned underground space. In fact, it has trademarked the phrase "World's Largest Underground Business Complex." DUFFIN: The thing about price controls is that once you start them, they are really, really hard to unwind. President Jimmy Carter wanted to help the dairy farmers. In fact, he remembers the exact room it went into. Production has increased 3% in the past year, and 29% in the last decade. How Government Cheese Became Welfare For Farmers - YouTube DUFFIN: Nevertheless, when Carter got elected, he goes all in. MALONE: By this point, Jimmy Carter was out of office. Kenny Malone has the epic tale of government cheese. MALONE: Who's got time for dating when you're traveling around eating cheese everywhere? If you loved visiting this stunning spot, take a trip to Fisher Cave in Meramec State Park. glimpse into the void but a modern-day viewing is near-impossible. Embark on a wonderful cave tour and learn all about its history. No, it doesnt have to do with the disastrous flooding experienced there in 1903 and 1951. Although there are around 1.4 billion pounds of excess cheese in the form of large wheels kept in cold storage limestone caves hundreds of feet below the ground outside of Springfield, Missouri just off Interstate 435, it is not all controlled by the government (only about 300 million pounds). If youve been in the cheeky, sophisticated Campground bar, youve set foot where the original J. Rieger & Co. building stood. But there is a chance that the government may be in the business of government cheese again. I dont even need a coat in the winter.. KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) A mother is in custody after her two children were found barefoot, dirty, and living in a wooden shipping crate in an underground cave part of a massive subterranean network carved out beneath Kansas City. MALONE: The government is creating a price floor. In fact, it has trademarked the phrase Worlds Largest Underground Business Complex. It was developed by late Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt via Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development, Inc. Read on to learn more about the largest underground business complex in Missouri. SUBSCRIBE for Every Delicious Theory! DUFFIN: And when news gets out that the government is filling a cave with cheese, the press goes nuts because this is exactly what people think of when they think of a government program gone awry. According to USDA statistics, the average American eats 34.1 pounds of cheese every year and is projected to eat 36.5 pounds by 2024. government cheese caves kansas citysr latch using nor gate truth table. We are not a government facility, but rather a multi-generational family business . There's a lot of history buried beneath Kansas City streets, from Prohibition-era passageways and underground caves to the oldest bar in Missouri. History Springfield Underground Euthanized cows and caves full of cheese: the government policies A NASA employee needing an area to test sensitive navigational instruments was among the first official cave occupants. Cheese-makers buy more milk. Start with this beginner's guide to the neighborhood, Local public health officials fear a Kansas bill would undercut work to contain diseases, A federal lawsuit against Missouri's 'dysfunctional' SNAP call center has gotten bigger, Escape your house with this list of outdoor adventures around Kansas City, Kick off your summer with outdoor music and movies in Kansas City, Kansas City is home to a lot of offbeat and fun museums. MALONE: Government cheese became a symbol of a crappy government handout. Get more stories delivered right to your email. The second lesson is you got to pay attention to the unintended consequences because they can come back and bite you and bite you hard. ASCHEBROCK: Now, I'm not sure if you know - if you've ever seen a 500-pound steel barrel of cheese. The former limestone mines house about 400 businesses, many of which specialize in storage or warehousing because they are protected from extreme weather and can boast stable, year-round temperatures and humidity. You don't do that, huh? DUFFIN: But maybe government cheese's most surreal moment came on a television show where Martha Stewart cooks stuff with Snoop Dog. Kansas City Underground | Visit KC Specifically, the federal government had 560 million pounds of cheese, most of it stored in vast subterranean storage facilities. The 55,000,000-square-foot, 1,100-acre underground storage facility is believed to be the world's largest site of its kind. SubTropolis | Snopes.com In response to this dairy shortage and 30% inflation . And do you, like, smack your forehead? Each year, several foot races are run in the cave system. MALONE: And you can taste all of those things in a piece of cheese? Big Government Cheese : Planet Money : NPR The 55,000,000-square-foot, 1,100-acre underground storage facility is believed to be the worlds largest site of its kind. Its first FRC opened in 1997 beneath Lee's Summit, and another opened in 2003 under Lenexa. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Before that, he was a reporter for WNYC's Only Humanpodcast. Long situated in a warehouse-style facility far from the major business district of Kansas . With temperatures maintained at 25F and 35F, staff have nicknamed the space the "Ice Cube." UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The great cheese giveaway began today in California. There's something instinctive in us that makes us want to leave a mark on the world. Lemp Brewery, located in St. Louis, is another unique place to explore. The Giant Animal Cluster, located in Bonne Terre is another wacky attraction in Missouri. [3] The National Archives and Records Administration also leases space for a Federal Records Center. Here are the 43 best kept secrets in Kansas City Nevertheless, dairy surpluses still very much exist. And you turn it, and you pull out a core of cheese. MALONE: One part of the solution then was to gently get that milk supply down. Here's a few you should know, A guide to discovering Kansas City's public art installations. Currently 5,000,000 square feet is occupied and 10,000,000 square feet are "improved.". Roanoke Cave . Hunt's extensive business dealings in Clay County contributed to the Chiefs having their NFL Training Camp at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri until 1991. Decades of propping up the dairy industryby buying up surplus. 41, no. MALONE: Bob Aschebrock spent 30 years as a USDA cheese inspector. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. The 43,000,000 square feet structure is owned by Americold and is primarily used for food production. It is estimated that Kansas has more than 700 and caves, and almost 350 are in the Red Hills. (SOUNDBITE OF FREDERIC AUGER'S "SUNBURN"). Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. No purchase necessary. MALONE: At one point, Donnie Wahlberg of the New Kids On The Block said, quote, "there's nothing like it. SubTropolis - Wikipedia Just dont forget your pillar number. DUFFIN: Lever 1, lower the supply - you could do what they do in Canada and say - hey, no more milk - you can only produce so much milk. MALONE: Even if that bite just looks like some delicious cheese? As strange as this predicament might seem, the U.S. is far from the only country to artificially stabilize agricultural prices by stockpiling food products. The government would buy up, say, massive amounts of corn or wheat and then just throw it into a silo until we needed it for some reason. MALONE: Right - very, very expensive cheese. MALONE: There will be a cave in Kansas City, a van down by the river and a touching exchange between Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg. When the Trump administration decided to pay subsidies to farmers hurt by trade, it reminded NPR's Planet Money podcast team about the time another president tried to help farmers. We also suggest picking up a digital hygrometer to measure cheese humidity, whether you're simply storing cheese in your Grotto or having fun with home cheesemaking. We are @planetmoney. Behold the power of cheese. (SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE"). How would you like to work underground? Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Park University in the Kansas City suburb of Parkville has dozens of classrooms and offices in the caves and rents out other underground space to businesses. Some of the cave openings are so big that a big truck can get through them, while others are so tight that it would be challenging even for an earthworm to sneak through. "Kansas City is a world leader in the use of underground space for human occupancy," he said. NARA Is Up to Date in Kansas City | National Archives MALONE: Bob Aschebrock spent 30 years as a USDA cheese inspector. Cheddar, England, Is Home to the World's Original Cheddar Cheese Caves NOVAKOVIC: You've got two levers you can pull on. To get some of that cheese off the market, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has spent $47.1 million buying up roughly 22. NOVAKOVIC: Well, I think there's two basic lessons. DAN CALLAHAN: No, I've never thought about it. It's got its flaws. KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and powerful storytelling. These days, units are available for business leasing or to store items that would benefit from the particular climate control found underground. DUFFIN: Like, hey, people of America, wouldn't you like to drink more milk? See. And the Ronald Reagan team was stuck dealing with these caves full of cheese. MALONE: The government is creating a price floor. What Will the U.S. Government Do With 1.4 Billion Pounds of Cheese? About 3.2 acres of available space are added each year as active mining continues. This video is private Watch on There are several other cave warehouse locations in the U.S., including one in Bonner Springs, Kansas, Springfield, Missouri, and the the SubTropolis underground complex located in northeastern Kansas City, Missouri. Many tenants at . Central Plains Regional Archives Moves to Historic Downtown Location Spring 2009, vol. Kansas City even has special ordinances that govern the use of underground space, including how the roofs must be supported, and about 3,000 to 4,000 people work full-time in the cave system,. DUFFIN: Yes, this is a real job. The U.S. Has a Massive Cheese Surplus - Smithsonian Magazine Known for its hiking trails (with Missouri River views), wineries and the McCormick distillery, Weston is also home to OMalleys, the oldest bar in Missouri. You wont be bored on this one-of-a-kind road trip! Throw two tbps of butter into a pressure cooker and melt them.