Evidence is best defense vs. database

By Larry Dreiling

Lost amid the Christmas season and the death of former president Ford came word that the Environmental Working Group released its newest version of their Farm Subsidy Database to the public.

With this 2006 update, the Ken Cook-led organization added 15 million records of payments for calendar year 2005 totaling $21 billion in payments, which Cook said was the costliest since the 2002 farm bill was enacted.

The 2006 update also adds new details on ownership of farm businesses receiving payments. There are also some changes in navigation of the database that helps breakdown the information a little better.

The only thing that's missing is where this money goes.

Five years ago, during the last farm bill debate, Cook mocked my editorial defense of the payments and of his method of embarrassing producers. At an April 2002 meeting of the North American Agricultural Journalists, Cook went after me:

"Heck, Larry, if farmers want to send me their expense reports, I'll include that in the database, too, and dedicate that section to you and High Plains Journal."

This time I think it's time we put Ken Cook's money where his mouth is.

I'm asking you readers to help. In this period where years of drought have devastated producers, particularly wheat farmers because the payment system failed them, I believe there ought to be someone out there willing to show Ken that the numbers he gins up are tied to real people who take great pride for being responsible for helping net Earth's bounty.

I'm looking for someone out there willing to open his or her books and show in a High Plains Journal feature how farm payments fit into keeping a farm--and by extension, rural America--alive.

We would not only show the government payments received, but profit and loss statements, depreciation schedules, tax liabilities. If you work with a farm management consultant, we'd like them to be involved in the discussion of the analysis of these records.

The farm and producer profile would include specifics, but we could keep the names anonymous, if you prefer. We want to show the realities of what these payments mean to keeping a family farm functioning

The story will then be presented to Cook with the hopes he would publish it on his website as he promised. It's more crucial now than ever that rural people tell their side of the story.

You may think: "I could never open my books to strangers, especially in High Plains Journal. What's he thinking?"

I'm thinking about my trip a few years ago to New Zealand, where producers open their books to their neighbors all the time. Once a month, these producers pick a place, tour a farm or ranch, then sit down and look at the books, breaking down expenses and ways their friends can be more profitable.

There's no embarrassments, no jealousies, just everyone working together to make operations and their communities more viable.

In the same spirit as Kiwi producers, I'm asking someone to step up who has the courage to educate America about how farm payments work. If you are willing, I'm willing to give it a try. My deadline for you to contact me is Feb. 1. My contact information follows.

Larry Dreiling can be reached by phone at 785-628-1117 or by e-mail at ldreiling@aol.com.

4

4 Star NE

Date: 1/10/07

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