MALONE: The story of government cheese has become a kind of parable of how government intervention in markets can have this, like, butterfly effect. Al and Ralph may have influenced food safety labeling and your pizzas cheese. Pour the dissolved yeast into the well and add enough warm water to make a soft dough. MALONE: So this leaves a couple of options. dynamite. In 1949, the Agricultural Act first gave the Commodity Credit Corporation, a government-owned agency created to stabilize farm incomes, authority to purchase dairy products. Either one should get you a higher price. MALONE: Until there was no more room for you to be in this room? These limestone caverns arent the only channels running under the city. Melt Two tbps of butter into a skillet, then add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. It has a grid of 16ft (4.9m) high, 40ft (12m) wide tunnels separated by 25ft (7.6m) square limestone pillars created by the room and pillar method of hard rock mining. In second-stage of career life, this former college instructor enjoys contributing to OIYS, blogging, reading, and spending time with her kids. Which makes for a thriving underground business community, as unnerving as a giant hole in the side of a bluff may be. 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: When we have a surplus of grain or soy or even powdered milk, we can send that stuff overseas as part of foreign aid. Kansas City's Underground Caves - Business Insider Cave Tours Missouri, long known as the "Cave State," has almost 6,400 caves, and Missouri State Parks showcases four of the best for public tours. Kraft Cheese Cave, Springfield. As with any commodity, the demand for dairy fluctuates, yet the nature of dairy production makes it challenging to quickly ramp up or down production in response. Though its more a part of Midtown than Downtown, the space once known as Deans Downtown Underground is definitely down there. As a Louisiana foodie, all I know about the topic is that if anyone got t heir hands on government cheese, it was a celebration, because it was so tasty.!! The main brewing cellar, now outfitted with seating areas, a bar and raised stage, reaches 55 feet underground. MALONE: Andy is still in the dairy world. Although other facilities like SubTropolis exist, there are none on the same such scale. Love Kansas? It's also mostly water, so you've got to haul it around in those, like, gas tankers. But the bite came in terms of how much it cost for that opportunity. Besides those already mentioned, other businesses include Cerner, NextPage, Hallmark Cards, Hantover, Clore Automotive, and Knapheide. Why Did the U.S. Government Amass More Than a Billion Pounds of Cheese? We use to plug through that bunghole to get our sample. Kraft Foods, the multinational conglomerate that makes countless grocery products in addition to cheese, is about none of that, however. Missouri has more than 7,000 caves under its ground, though fewer than 20 are easily accessible to most people. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. A miner from Colorado named Charles Griffee excavated these caves in the 1880s, but the land was later bought by the Faris family. Karen's doing the dance. DUFFIN: Just this week, we finally learned some of the details. Gastro Obscura covers the worlds most wondrous food and drink. Back in 2018, The New York Times did a profile on Gene Peters, chief executive of Rosnet, a restaurant software company out of Parkville, Missouri. They also house a massive frozen-food storage complex, a paintball business, and a US Postal Service facility that stores and distributes new stamps. So these days, if the government wants to help farmers, what you'll generally hear about are direct subsidies as opposed to buying cheese. The Best List of Caves in Missouri - World of Caves Other facilities like SubTropolis exist although not on the same scale, such as the abandoned mine in Butler, Pennsylvania used by Corbis and the US Federal Government for secure storage. 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,. We can't find a market for it. It is more than a food that. Then, in the 1970s, everything started to go haywire. But every instinct I had said, oh, this - I'm not so sure this is going to work out so well. But cheese doesn't travel well, so the government landed on a third option. ASCHEBROCK: Now, I'm not sure if you know - if you've ever seen a 500-pound steel barrel of cheese. DAN CALLAHAN: No, I've never thought about it. As a busy mother of one crazy kid, two cats, and two geckos, they write whenever there is spare time. Yes, the Government Really Does Stash Billions of Pounds of Cheese in Missouri Caves The USDA has kept cheese and other dairy products in cold-storage caves for decades. DUFFIN: This is a basic supply-and-demand problem. You may wonder why the government has a massive cheese stockpile. The National Archives Goes Underground | National Archives Each year, several foot races are run in the cave system. CALLAHAN: So you'd be - it's 17 feet, 16 feet. SubTropolis (Kansas City) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go And Congress is like wait - no, we also love the farmers. And the United States Postal Service's Philatelic Sales Divison, the national distribution center for . government cheese caves kansas city - breakingwinds.com Before that, he was a reporter for WNYC's Only Humanpodcast. This is Dan Callahan. Kenny Malone is a correspondent for NPR's Planet Moneypodcast. All our area around here - everybody had cheese. THIS ARTICLE IS ADAPTED FROM THE MAY 21, 2022, EDITION OF GASTRO OBSCURAS FAVORITE THINGS NEWSLETTER. JOHN BLOCK: You see that cake of cheese? The mine naturally maintains temperatures between 65 and 70 F year-round, making it a great space for a lot of different types of businesses. But this was not putting even a dent in the surplus. In fact, if you see my shape, you would know that I eat enough to keep the tank full. government cheese caves kansas city SubTropolis - Wikipedia So getting people to do it was always a challenge. Sign up for notifications from Insider! MALONE: Now, to be fair, that's probably not enough to start filling caves again. The U.S. Has a Massive Cheese Surplus - Smithsonian Magazine More Info Directions. The air is cool and the barroom massive almost cathedral-like. (Shouting) Government cheese. And the European Union has a long, scandalous history of accumulating butter mountains, wine lakes, and milk lakesthe latter of which consisted of vast quantities of skim milk powder housed in warehouses in Germany, Belgium, and France. MALONE: He and his colleagues are drowning in cheese. See. MALONE: This footage is amazing - just massive crowds of people being handed bricks of cheese. Its more than a hobby, its a passion.. This area is also a great place to go hiking, camping, and fishing. Atchison Storage Facility - Wikipedia 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. You need a hacksaw. "If they haven't been used, no one knows what state of deterioration they are in," Hasan said. Have you ever explored a cave in Kansas before? 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. MALONE: The theory was that if you give cheese away to people who can't afford it, then you're not stealing business from real cheese sellers. NOVAKOVIC: Butter was one, nonfat dry milk and cheese - and in particular, cheddar-type cheese. DUFFIN: Bob's job was to make sure that all of the cheese met USDA grade A cheddar standards - the right moisture level, the proper shade of yellowish-orange, the correct flavor profile. A native Midwesterner with a love for family, friends, and learning new things. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: That's government cheese. So the government gave a bunch to schools, then to the Army. It sounds amazing. With the economy spiraling, President Jimmy Carter promised to raise the collapsing price of milk, saying, Im giving dairy farmers an equal break., In the late 1970s, when energy prices went crazy and there was this unbelievable period of inflation, things got a little out of control, Novakovi says. Start with this beginner's guide to the neighborhood, Kansas City's new airport terminal carries on the legacy of a 10-year-old who fought for inclusivity, 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. Euthanized cows and caves full of cheese: the government policies And the resulting demand just pushes the price of milk up. Cave cheese is any cheese that is ripened within a cave or cave-like environment, where consistently low temperatures and high levels of humidity are perfect for supporting the chemical reactions that take place in the cheese aging process. You don't do that, huh? In the 1940s, there was a real concern that we were going to have a hard time keeping up with providing the necessities of life, Novakovi says. Thank you! MARTHA STEWART: Where do you buy government cheese? NOVAKOVIC: Yeah. The four are Onondaga Cave and Cathedral Cave at Onondaga Cave State Park, Fisher Cave at Meramec State Park , and Ozark Caverns at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. Like SubTropolis, the strangely sterile space is separated by humungous numbered pillars. Government Cheese Over the years, the government has gravitated toward one method of unloading dairy surplus: giving it to the poor. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. You've got to be on they special mailing list. MALONE: So if you wanted to sell cheese to the government, Bob would show up with this, like, hollow rod called a cheese trier. DUFFIN: Like, hey, people of America, wouldn't you like to drink more milk? Springfield's "cheese caves" aren't natural caves like Fantastic Caverns or Crystal Cave. ASCHEBROCK: I'm not running down Velveeta, but I'll tell you, the government processed loaf was 10 times - 100 times better. It's got its flaws. As recently as August of 2020, the Department of Agriculture announced the Cheese Purchase Program. The Dairy Farmers of America, which has been using the facility, known as the Springfield Underground, for more than 30 years, currently has 7 million pounds of raw product.Some of this is normal inventory storage or cheese being aged. And it is also very cold - good for the government cheese, though. Cheeseproclub.com. 's homemade newspaper, Neighborhood News. And in order to do. Does the government own 1.3 billion pounds of cheese? - WMAZ MALONE: Even if that bite just looks like some delicious cheese? SubTropolis is a 55,000,000-square-foot (5,100,000 m 2), 1,100-acre (4.5 km 2) artificial cave in the bluffs above the Missouri River in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, that is claimed to be the world's largest underground storage facility.Developed by late Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt via Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development, Inc., it has trademarked the phrase World's Largest . Here's a few you should know, A guide to discovering Kansas City's public art installations. MALONE: That is right. To see the best of them, embark on this road trip to Missouris best abandoned places. 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. ASCHEBROCK: Well, I think cheese eating is better than dating sometimes. That number, though, pales in. SubTropolis, a 55 million-square-foot limestone cave which houses a range of businesses underground in Kansas City. MALONE: Bob Aschebrock was one of the government's cheese graders. In Kansas City, One Stubborn Cave Won't Give Up Its Secrets For example, the United States Postal Service uses the space for its collectible stamp operations, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency leases spaces within for their Region-7 Training and Logistics Center. MALONE: The idea was that if you give this food to people who suffer from food insecurity, then maybe it is going to go to somebody who wasn't going to buy cheese anyway so you're not hurting the market as much. The government is buying $20 million in surplus cheese - CNNMoney If you loved visiting this stunning spot, take a trip to Fisher Cave in Meramec State Park. The federal government has been storing paperwork in these caves for nearly 25 years. Old Kansas City Limestone Mines Home To Everything From Pickup - WBUR MALONE: Dan Callahan worked here in the 1970s and says one day, the U.S. government rented a ton of cave space, and a ton of cheddar cheese started to show up. government cheese caves kansas city - shantisrl.com MALONE: As the government bought more and more cheese, sure, the price of milk went up. Through the years, Kansas Citians have utilized a number of buried passageways for transportation, illegal (at the time) or otherwise. Basically the dairy industry is looking to expand its market and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is looking to expand the agricultural economy and they become very intertwined., It helped that the burgeoning field of nutrition science promoted dairy products as essential for both adults and children. What Will the U.S. Government Do With 1.4 Billion Pounds of Cheese? Working underground is no big deal to me, Peters says in the interview. This one-of-a-kind display showcases a wide variety of hair art, historic hair pieces, and more. DUFFIN: Yes, this is a real job. MALONE: The Trump administration announced that in order to help farmers being hurt by Trump's tariffs, the government may be making some food purchases again. An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. Buoyed by items like Wendys dual Double Melt sandwich concept and Taco Bells steak quesadilla, the organization helped boost cheese sales by more than 30 million pounds. Have you seen these caves before? In 2016, dairy farmers resorted to simply dumping 43 million gallons of milk down the drain. Kenny Malone has the epic tale of government cheese. In fact, it has trademarked the phrase "World's Largest Underground Business Complex." BOB ASCHEBROCK: Yes. According to the Center for Land Use Interpretation, the space was once also a limestone mine. Comments on: Yes, the Government Really Does Stash Billions of Pounds Thank you! Try the frozen treat that inspired Arrested Development's famous banana stand. What would the government do if you drove this into downtown Washington and said, here you go? Syed E. Hasan, a geosciences professor emeritus at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, said the "very pure" limestone was ideal for cement production to shore up the city's rapid expansion at that time. MALONE: This must be a common confusion in the industry. The 55,000,000-square-foot, 1,100-acre underground storage facility is believed to be the worlds largest site of its kind. I was hired as a cheese grader. Lever 2, more demand - you could try to convince the public that they want to drink more milk. DUFFIN: But the problem, Andy says, was that a lot of this was not easy-to-give-away cheese. Why The US Government Has Kept Over 1 Billion Pounds Of Cheese In On a given day, kids scramble over its playground, neighbors walk their dogs through its green acres, and teens meet for pick-up games on its soccer fields and volleyball courts. The Heim family owned property all over Kansas City at the turn of the century, including breweries called Rochester and Imperial, as well as the one in East Bottoms. That is, until last month. Lets just call it tunnel vision. His creation, SubTropolis, is the largest of the underground facilities with nearly 6 million square feet of industrial space for lease. SNOOP DOGG: You don't buy it. is cottonseed oil safe for nut allergy It doesn't take long to see the three caves, but once you're here, you'll spend a long time looking and exploring. Westons downtown district was established in 1837, so theres a lot of history here. Government Cheese Stored In Caves - Blogger Sign up for KCUR's Creative Adventure Email, Kansas City's new airport terminal carries on the legacy of a 10-year-old who fought for inclusivity, Want to explore Waldo? No purchase necessary. At Kanopolis park, near the lake of the same name, there's a short trail from a parking area that leads you through the brush into a clearing. Offer subject to change without notice. MALONE: Even if that bite just looks like some delicious cheese. Family-run for more than a century, this pizzeria makes a unique mustard pie. It was - some of it almost taste like natural cheddar. There are literally train tracks leading into it. The same year, the USDA bought up $20 million worth of cheese to cut the glut. Currently, more than 7,300,000 square feet (680,000m2) is occupied and 6,700,000 square feet (620,000m2) are available for future expansion. When Hamilton and partner Sean Smith purchased the property in 2021, they also found a locked safe and penny tile beneath green carpeting. 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. In 1949, the Agricultural Act allowed a government agency to buy up dairy products to stabilize prices. G. DEP: (Rapping) Can't buy trees with government cheese. government cheese caves kansas city - s208669.gridserver.com Have you been inside? It was this spectacle of millions of pounds of expensive cheese being processed and given away that created a popular cultural icon and an example of bad government spending. Youll have to climb down to get to it, led mysteriously by a sequence of ramps and labyrinthine walkways. But thats not all that was uncovered. Well, its called SubTropolis, is owned by Hunt Midwest yes, the same Hunt family that owns the Kansas City Chiefs and is wide enough to hold 42 Arrowhead Stadiums. Theres even a train track winding through the colossal complex, and many, many exit signs. 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. The reason why the dairy industry gets such preferential treatment is its status as this uncontested food in the diet, Wiley says. NOVAKOVIC: So the way this program works, literally, is the federal government puts out a piece of paper that says, we will buy as much cheese, butter or nonfat dry milk as you want to sell to us at these prices. The National Archives' Central Plains regional archives is moving into the heart of Kansas City's cultural and historic area. ANDY NOVAKOVIC: Oh, yeah. The year was 1981, and President Ronald Reagan had a cheese problem. Add 16 oz of macaroni, or shells to the pressure cooker and enough water to cover the noodles completely. How the US Ended Up With Warehouses Full of 'Government Cheese' 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. Specifically, the federal government had 560 million pounds of cheese, most of it stored in vast subterranean storage facilities. Unlike corn or wheat, however, milk needed to be converted into more shelf-stable forms, specifically butter, dehydrated skim milk powder, and cheese. DUFFIN: So much cheese that Bob starts having to spend more and more time on the road because he has to actually go to the cheese to grade it. 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. (SOUNDBITE OF DROP ELECTRIC SONG, "WAKING UP TO THE FIRE"). By 1984, the U.S. storage facilities contained 1.2 billion pounds, or roughly five pounds of cheese for every American. As the room and pillar mining method is used to extract limestone throughout the Midwest, many companies are looking at ways to utilize the hundreds of millions of square feet created in this manner for everything from mushroom farming to crude oil stockpiling. Food Caves in Missouri SubTropolis, Kansas City. I started in 1967 with the USDA, and I was hired as a cheese grader. Do you or does someone you know work at SubTropolis? It's going up because the government MALONE: And do you - you hear of it. NOVAKOVIC: Well, I think there's two basic lessons. MALONE: That did some good. Expand All. MALONE: The government is creating a price floor. There is a. missouri cheese caves wikipedia DAN CALLAHAN: No, I've never thought about it. Production has increased 3% in the past year, and 29% in the last decade. Out of 25 buildings, a whopping 24 were saloons. The brick structure 9th & State calls home is one of a few left standing since those raucous Paris of the Plains days. Today on the show, the story of what happened when the president of the United States decided he was going to help America's farmers by buying milk, lots of milk. Our operators are standing by. Original reels of Hollywood blockbusters "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gone with the Wind" are stored in the caves. ASCHEBROCK: And that's what you grade. DUFFIN: This is why there is also a community of people who are still obsessed with government cheese - Internet chat boards trying to find something comparable, restaurants claiming they have a recipe for it. The cheese was processed and made into 2 and 5 pound bricks and given away as food aid to the poor of America. NOVAKOVIC: Exactly. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: The retail price of milk is going up more than 6 cents a gallon - soon. And in order to do this, they have to be willing to buy all of the cheese that anybody wants to sell them at this price. And then on the other side, the government tried to replace some of their artificial demand for milk with new real demand for milk. MALONE: Are you pretty annoying to eat cheese with? San Francisco is 1 of 3 cities in which needy people lined up to get the surplus cheese. There's something instinctive in us that makes us want to leave a mark on the world. Youll want to check out this cool hiking trail that has another cave youre welcome to explore. +44 (0)7540 787812 frances@constructionandbuildingphotography.com.