Deep in converted limestone mines, caves kept perfectly at 36 degrees Fahrenheit store stockpiles of government-owned cheese comprising the country's 1.4 billion pounds of surplus cheese. MALONE: And you can taste all of those things in a piece of cheese? 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. So the thing that the government was concerned about is what's called commercial displacement. Blackwell Motors showcases a variety of fiberglass animals, and people come from all around just to see them. ASCHEBROCK: But then we had the issue of storing the stuff. During the 1980s, the U.S. government managed to offload its cheese stash. Limestone mine in the bluffs above the Missouri River in Kansas City, MO, US, Learn how and when to remove this template message, United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Archives and Records Administration, "SubTropolis | Industrial Space for Lease in Kansas City", "Bloomberg.com 2015-02-04 Welcome to Subtropolis The Business Complex Buried Under Kansas City", "Archives.gov 2018-02-26 Kansas City, MO Federal Records Center", SubTropolis Technology Center home site (Hunt Midwest), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SubTropolis&oldid=1140599869, Buildings and structures in Kansas City, Missouri, Articles lacking in-text citations from January 2020, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia cave articles with unreferenced coordinates, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 21:12. MALONE: So a campaign promise - that's what we call those. No, it isn't money but actually cheese, 1.4 billion pounds of it to be exact, stored in a cave in Missouri. Posted on June 8, 2022 ; in pete davidson first snl episode; by Though its more a part of Midtown than Downtown, the space once known as Deans Downtown Underground is definitely down there. 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. Its more than a hobby, its a passion.. MALONE: Bob Aschebrock spent 30 years as a USDA cheese inspector. There are so many incredible abandoned businesses in Missouri. DUFFIN: This was not just political pandering. ASCHEBROCK: And you insert it in through the block or the barrel or whatever. This little-known cave area in Kansas is the perfect opportunity to explore something that many Kansans might not have heard of before. 41, no. How we got to this point is a long story, and it starts during a national dairy shortage in the 1970s. MALONE: Dan says that the cheese took up about half an acre of space. There are literally train tracks leading into it. And as of March 31, the U.S. still has 1.4 billion pounds of cheese in cold storageonly now its owned by private companies. Looking for more unusual places in Missouri? 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. 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. 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. Through the years, Kansas Citians have utilized a number of buried passageways for transportation, illegal (at the time) or otherwise. And the Ronald Reagan team was stuck dealing with these caves full of cheese. DUFFIN: And this is what people will remember as government cheese because when a government starts to give away hundreds of millions of pounds of cheese, people notice. Its existence serves as a reminder of Kansas Citys knack for innovative transportation especially as new railways for the streetcar go down all along Main Street. 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? (SOUNDBITE OF KAZAM'S "ROMANTIQUE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. MALONE: Bob Aschebrock spent 30 years as a USDA cheese inspector. 4701 Wyandotte Street. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Roanoke Cave . In addition, the Federal Government will spend $40 million to $50 million this year to transport even more dairy . He says the government was buying powdered milk, butter and cheddar cheese - only grade-A cheddar, though. 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. Jimmy Carter was running for president. I am in an old, converted limestone mine. 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. But every instinct I had said, oh, this - I'm not so sure this is going to work out so well. Want to explore Waldo? Fortunately, the rock here is soft enough to scratch something out without a lot of effort. Known as the Springfield Underground, this is a cheese cave of epic proportions covering a . MALONE: Are you pretty annoying to eat cheese with? The Cheese Grotto isn't just about cheese storageit also allows you to age cheese at home. So these days, if the government wants to help farmers, what you'll generally hear about are direct subsidies as opposed to buying cheese. 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. Strong Distilling, the only known legal distillery operating in a cave, and catch a "Cave Concert" while you're there. (Shouting) Government cheese. I'm Karen Duffin. 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. In the 2000s, you could still take an official tour and potentially find a way in for a D.I.Y. By 1984, the U.S. storage facilities contained 1.2 billion pounds, or roughly five pounds of cheese for every American. ANDY NOVAKOVIC: Oh, yeah. It was a big enough number that it sounded like one of these campaign promises that you really didn't expect they would actually fulfill. India and Bhutan's yak herders face steep challenges. Working underground is no big deal to me, Peters says in the interview. Cheese Caves Myth: Debunked. 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. DUFFIN: OK. I mean, there was all kinds of tricks that you - that we had to be looking for. I mean, it was really, really good product. And Andy had a ringside seat to it. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Before that, he was a reporter for WNYC's Only Humanpodcast. There was an incredible press conference where Agriculture Secretary John Block went before reporters and held up a giant hunk of cheese like it was a national emergency. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). The Country Club Plaza. He spent 30 years testing and tasting cheese for the United States government. NOVAKOVIC: Butter was one, nonfat dry milk and cheese - and in particular, cheddar-type cheese. As a busy mother of one crazy kid, two cats, and two geckos, they write whenever there is spare time. Specifically, the federal government had 560 million pounds of cheese, most of it stored in vast subterranean storage facilities. $20.00 per adult Kansas City Segway Tour: Art and Glide 80 Recommended Segway Tours from $69.00 per adult SEA LIFE Kansas City Aquarium Admission Ticket 66 Aquariums from $23.65 per adult Kansas City Crossroads Art District and Westside Urban Hike 17 Recommended Adventure Tours from $39.00 per adult Strawberry Hill and Downtown KCK Hike 12 The Trump administration says today it will make an estimated $12 billion in government assistance available. So to prevent this, the government said, look - if we're going to buy your cheese, first, you have to meet with Bob. And do you, like, smack your forehead? And they're like, we need more cheese graders. Want more adventures like this? Rather, the "caves" are part of a 3.2-million-square-foot warehouse under part of Springfield.. NOVAKOVIC: As you can imagine, the cheese company that's in the business of selling cheese is going to say - hey, what's the deal here? A miner from Colorado named Charles Griffee excavated these caves in the 1880s, but the land was later bought by the Faris family. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and powerful storytelling. 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. It doesn't take long to see the three caves, but once you're here, you'll spend a long time looking and exploring. Lawmakers worried that any blow to the nations dairy farmers could lead to drastic shortages down the line. The brick structure 9th & State calls home is one of a few left standing since those raucous Paris of the Plains days. Melt Two tbps of butter into a skillet, then add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Have you been inside? I mean, every warehouse in Wisconsin was full. DIRECTIONS: Dissolve the yeast in the hot water and let stand until foamy, about ten minutes. The government was demanding an unnatural amount of milk and so farmers were supplying an unnatural amount of milk. With the onset of wartime rationing and shortages leading into the Second World War, there were growing fears about the long-term stability of the United States food supply. Over in West Bottoms (again), 9th & State operates out of an old Pabst Brewery building on a street once known as the Wettest Block in the World. San Francisco is 1 of 3 cities in which needy people lined up to get the surplus cheese. Even after the demand for dairy declined in the wake of World War II, the program functioned reasonably well for years. 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. ASCHEBROCK: I'm not running down Velveeta, but I'll tell you, the government processed loaf was 10 times - 100 times better. Its at the same park! But here is why government cheese has become a kind of parable of how government intervention in markets can have this, like, butterfly effect. ASCHEBROCK: Nope. Heap the flour on your countertop and make a well in the center. Yeah. While the government-owned cheese hoards of the 1970s and 80s are largely a thing of the past, the U.S. has still never really figured out what to do with its excess dairy. glimpse into the void but a modern-day viewing is near-impossible. This restaurant serves wood-fired fare served in a natural cave with a live spring. There's a lot of history buried beneath Kansas City streets, from Prohibition-era passageways and underground caves to the oldest bar in Missouri. MALONE: Who's got time for dating when you're traveling around eating cheese everywhere? MALONE: Even if that bite just looks like some delicious cheese? MALONE: And so our country has a tradition of programs to help farmers. We're highlighting some of the wonders inside. DUFFIN: Just this week, we finally learned some of the details. 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. The government has tended to stay away from buying cheese as a solution. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A state official estimated 300,000 people will get a taste of today's cheese. As recently as August of 2020, the Department of Agriculture announced the Cheese Purchase Program. The government would buy as much milk as it took to move that price. MALONE: By this point, Jimmy Carter was out of office. Weve written about the 8th Street Tunnel before, and who can blame us? Dug into the Bethany Falls limestone mine, SubTropolis is, in places, 160 feet (49m) beneath the surface. MALONE: The story of government cheese has become a kind of parable of how government intervention in markets can have this, like, butterfly effect. 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. In fact, if you see my shape, you would know that I eat enough to keep the tank full. 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. On the north edge of the complex Hunt developed the Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun amusement park complex. MALONE: Right - very, very expensive cheese. But their purpose has shifted over the years. 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. DUFFIN: Like, hey, people of America, wouldn't you like to drink more milk? The young people do - they say, well, I can't go out with a girl or I can't go out with a guy because I'm on the road all the time. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. As we unloaded the caves full of this stuff, government cheese started to show up everywhere - food banks and schools, military mess halls. Stay up to date with what you want to know. So how in the world did the U.S. end up with a mountain of slowly molding cheese? Government buys more cheese. Since 1916, when James Lewis Kraft patented American cheese, the U.S. had the technology to create a cheese product that could last for years. MALONE: And then within five years, the government was spending billions of dollars filling caves with cheese that they could not get rid of fast enough. Yet part of this cheese mountain represents an enduring surplusa very literal representation of the dairy industrys mismatch with the realties of the market. Its oddly fascinating! UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: The great cheese giveaway began today in California. It was built by a German immigrant named John Georgian, who instead of relying on those trusty limestone caves weve come to know and love dug out his own brewery space beneath Weston. JAY-Z: (Rapping) After that government cheese, we eatin' steak. 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 . There is a. The federal government has been storing paperwork in these caves for nearly 25 years. If you havent spent a day wandering the streets of Weston, Missouri, youre missing out. And he started floating this idea. DUFFIN: With a few other programs and some time, things eventually got under control, and the government put the milk support program on a kind of permanent suspension. Last year, the U.S. produced nearly 12 billion pounds of cheese -- an all-time high, according to the USDA. And to be fair, it was processed cheese kind of like a brick of Velveeta. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. DUFFIN: Government cheese starts to show up in all kinds of popular culture. MALONE: But this is America. I am currently about 35 feet underground in an old converted limestone mine that is the size of 120 football fields. as well as other partner offers and accept our, http://eapcontent.ap.org/jpg/2015/20150914/16/be46cf305fa20029820f6a70670013cf.jpg?contentid=be46cf305fa20029820f6a70670013cf/fmt=jpg/role=Preview/reldt=2015-09-14T16:35:59/media=Photo/recordid=a772a7d9f93f488487ec5a05e64f976a/itemid=a772a7d9f93f488487ec5a05e64f976a/objfilename=preview.jpg/authToken=eNotikEKwyAURE%2bkzNf4NQuhV4lWwUVj0Ei78PC10FnM48Gb6eNZG%2bsIO4OwRg4zFh%2fSxjFrCJMPJQC1C6eQBR8WbFemY56j%2b1jPu5Uw7tr6I4xeztTX9fJMTcb6mtfb%2f5UMZrk8b5LAkn4k8wXMhif%2b&token=1442512801_9D4E1758BD6D116C2F559647389B3542, NOW WATCH: Incredible video inside Hang Son Doong the largest cave in the world. I dont even need a coat in the winter.. 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. DUFFIN: It is this moment that government cheese truly enters the American bloodstream. Government buys more cheese. NOVAKOVIC: So it's fundamental economics. A cave (also known as a cavern) is a common terrain feature that generates in the Overworld and the Nether. The way it melts for a hamburger - there is nothing better. The idea of "government cheese" is an enduring blip in the American psyche. Either one should get you a higher price. 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. Secretive Experiences Sample spirits made by S.D. Very, very expensive cheese. It is estimated that Kansas has more than 700 and caves, and almost 350 are in the Red Hills. What are the most unusual places in Missouri? No? Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri. But the surplus was growing so fast that 30 million pounds barely made a dent. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. Onandaga Cave is one of the most gorgeous underground places in Missouri. About 3.2 acres of available space are added each year as active mining continues. Visit a sweet shop selling one of the first candies ever made and sold in America. 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. 7 Awe-Inspiring Drone Views That Will Show Off Kansas Like Never Before, Theres An Incredible Meteor Shower Happening This Summer And Kansas Has A Front Row Seat, The Underrated Natural Wonder Every Kansan Should See At Least Once, The Breathtaking Overlook In Kansas That Lets You See For Miles And Miles, 8 Roads With The Best Windshield Views In All Of Kansas, Theres A Geological Wonder That Youd Never Expect To Find In Kansas, The Beautiful Spot In Kansas Where You Can See Into Three Other States At Once, 9 Amazing Natural Wonders Hiding In Plain Sight In Kansas No Hiking Required, this cool hiking trail that has another cave. One of the efforts was to establish a program by which the government would guarantee a price on a handful of agricultural commodities to encourage production.. In fact, it has trademarked the phrase "World's Largest Underground Business Complex." In addition to serving as a records center, Lenexa has two archival cold storage rooms. 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 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. MALONE: So this leaves a couple of options. Over the course of the decade, inflation in the U.S. skyrocketed from 5.5 percent up to 14 percent. We hope so. I was hired as a cheese grader. ASCHEBROCK: It was 10 times better than - I hate - you know, Velveeta is OK. JOHN BLOCK: You see that cake of cheese? There's something instinctive in us that makes us want to leave a mark on the world. JUNOT DIAZ: Clear the government cheese from the refrigerator. MALONE: The government asked economists, including Andy Novakovic, to figure out how it could get out of the cheese buying business without devastating the farmers they were trying to help in the first place. The reason why the dairy industry gets such preferential treatment is its status as this uncontested food in the diet, Wiley says. I'm Karen Duffin. [3] The National Archives and Records Administration also leases space for a Federal Records Center. It's going up because the government MALONE: And do you - you hear of it. NOVAKOVIC: Well, I think there's two basic lessons. The government was buying 1 in every 4 pounds of the country's cheddar cheese.
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