There is no easy solution, but when the farm subsidies diminish or disappear, and the small farmers are shut down, leaving the profits to the big farming industries, everyone, and I mean everyone, will be clamering when the price of produce become unaffordable for all.
This is BS!!!! The most expensive part of the Farm Bill is food stamps. Food stamps make up 70% of the Farm Bill expenditures. “Rich Farmers”, indeed. Do you have any idea how expensive it is to farm? Check out the price of seed, fertilizer, fuel, equipment, pesticides, fungicides, upkeep of equipment, and etc. Not to mention land taxes. The only true rich farmer started out with money or it is a commercially owned farm.
My husband farmed for over 20 yrs. After several bad years of drought and bad weather, he had to give up the only way of life he and his father knew. Crop insurance does not make farmers rich, it keeps them from losing everything they own in a bad year. If you have never had the stress and the exhaustion from farming, you have no understanding of what is involved. For almost 9 months you work 10-16 hour days/ 7 days a week, while worrying that there will be too much or too little rain. And the bills pile up. You get paid ONE time a year. And after you settle all of your farm debts, you do good to have enough to live on. One year we had a negative income. 1995–the dry weather got the peanuts and Opal got the cotton. Yes we had crop insurance, but it was not quite enough to pay all of the costs of farming including a $30,000 a year land payment. It is FOOD STAMPS that has increased by 36% since Obama took office the first time, that is causing such expense in the so-called Farm Bill.
You are right, but I would add there are substantial subsidies given to farmers for many years to not grow crops. Add the subsidy to the corn farmers to grow for ethanol production and thereby causing all products made from corn to escalate in price. I understand crop insurance for storms and drought, but the Agriculture Dept is one of many dysfunctional departments of the Federal Government. It should be cut in half at least and do common sense things instead of just give a ways. Enough is enough.
Farm subsidies and crop insurance are different issues. Subsidies are often paid to farmers with little to no requirement and can incentize farmers to not produce in an effort to stabilize prices. Insurance keeps them alive for disasters.
Farmers have had a couple of good years primarily due to corn trading at a high bushel price DUE TO NO OTHER INVESTMENT OPPTY. Once investments retuen to others areas, farmland will return to normal cost and corn will stop trading at $7/bushel. We do not need people investing in farmland, we need them working it.
So Minnie, why do you think corn is trading at such a high price? Could it be that a substantial amount of the crop is used for ethanol production? No other investment opportunity???? It seems to me that corn farmers have never had it so good since so much corn goes to ethanol. Meanwhile, hundreds of products made from corn continue to skyrocket to the consumer. How about producing corn for export and sell it to hungry nations who will buy it and reduce our balance of payments issue?
So why don’t we have Obamacrop coverage to continue the handouts (“regardless of need”)?
Obamacrop…clever!
But should you be happy that he’s cutting down on the handouts to the rich farmers???
There is no easy solution, but when the farm subsidies diminish or disappear, and the small farmers are shut down, leaving the profits to the big farming industries, everyone, and I mean everyone, will be clamering when the price of produce become unaffordable for all.
Anything and I mean anything Obama does makes me clamer.
This is BS!!!! The most expensive part of the Farm Bill is food stamps. Food stamps make up 70% of the Farm Bill expenditures. “Rich Farmers”, indeed. Do you have any idea how expensive it is to farm? Check out the price of seed, fertilizer, fuel, equipment, pesticides, fungicides, upkeep of equipment, and etc. Not to mention land taxes. The only true rich farmer started out with money or it is a commercially owned farm.
My husband farmed for over 20 yrs. After several bad years of drought and bad weather, he had to give up the only way of life he and his father knew. Crop insurance does not make farmers rich, it keeps them from losing everything they own in a bad year. If you have never had the stress and the exhaustion from farming, you have no understanding of what is involved. For almost 9 months you work 10-16 hour days/ 7 days a week, while worrying that there will be too much or too little rain. And the bills pile up. You get paid ONE time a year. And after you settle all of your farm debts, you do good to have enough to live on. One year we had a negative income. 1995–the dry weather got the peanuts and Opal got the cotton. Yes we had crop insurance, but it was not quite enough to pay all of the costs of farming including a $30,000 a year land payment. It is FOOD STAMPS that has increased by 36% since Obama took office the first time, that is causing such expense in the so-called Farm Bill.
You are right, but I would add there are substantial subsidies given to farmers for many years to not grow crops. Add the subsidy to the corn farmers to grow for ethanol production and thereby causing all products made from corn to escalate in price. I understand crop insurance for storms and drought, but the Agriculture Dept is one of many dysfunctional departments of the Federal Government. It should be cut in half at least and do common sense things instead of just give a ways. Enough is enough.
Farm subsidies and crop insurance are different issues. Subsidies are often paid to farmers with little to no requirement and can incentize farmers to not produce in an effort to stabilize prices. Insurance keeps them alive for disasters.
Farmers have had a couple of good years primarily due to corn trading at a high bushel price DUE TO NO OTHER INVESTMENT OPPTY. Once investments retuen to others areas, farmland will return to normal cost and corn will stop trading at $7/bushel. We do not need people investing in farmland, we need them working it.
So Minnie, why do you think corn is trading at such a high price? Could it be that a substantial amount of the crop is used for ethanol production? No other investment opportunity???? It seems to me that corn farmers have never had it so good since so much corn goes to ethanol. Meanwhile, hundreds of products made from corn continue to skyrocket to the consumer. How about producing corn for export and sell it to hungry nations who will buy it and reduce our balance of payments issue?
I don’t think blaming it all on food stamps is the right answer, Sherinae.
Family farms should get some help, rich farmers and giant corporation farmers should not.
I *cough cough* actually agree more or less with Agent on this one – that NEVER happens!
Wow DS. I will have to frame your response since we don’t agree on much.