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bucks that income trend.
• The inflation-adjusted median household income in Brown County in 2011 was $51,905, compared to the South Dakota median of $49,909. Nationally, median household income was $52,306 in 2011.
• In 2011, residents of Brown County received a combined $5,239,674 in SNAP benefits. The USDA reports that each $5 in SNAP benefits generates $9.20 in spending.
• SNAP benefits start to circulate in the economy quickly. Participants spend nearly all their food stamps within one month of receipt, according to a study by the University of New Hampshire Carsey Institute.
• Grocers say they feel the impact of SNAP and other USDA nutrition programs like Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
• "Without SNAP and WIC, we wouldn't be able to make it," wrote the owner of the Mill City Market in the small town of Mill City, Ore., in a survey of rural grocers conducted by the Oregon Food Bank and Kansas State University Rural Grocery Initiative.
• Owners know they have to stock the shelves to prepare for more business when SNAP benefits hit the streets, said David Procter with the Rural Grocery Initiative
• It's not just the mom-and-pop stores that see a bump from food-stamp spending in small towns and rural areas. Walmart reported in a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing that a decrease in SNAP benefits last year could affect the retail giant's bottom line.
• Average SNAP benefits nationally fell about $30 a month per family in November after a temporary increase that was part of the 2009 economic stimulus package. More funding decreases are on the way.
• This summer, Congress agreed to trim about $8 billion from SNAP over the next decade. Backers of the cuts said the program had expanded too much in recent years and was creating too much reliance on government assistance. SNAP expenditures increased 135 percent between 2007 and 2011.
• U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor (Va.-R) backed a measure that would have removed SNAP from the farm bill entirely.
• "While [SNAP] is an important part of our safety net, our overriding goal should be to help our citizens with the education and skills they need to get back on their feet so that they can provide for themselves and their families," Rep. Cantor said during congressional debate.
• Food stamps have been part of the farm bill for the past 50 years. The legislation's combination of farming and nutrition programs has helped ensure the bill re

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