|
Untold storyBy Holly Martin While watching a television segment on farming the other day, I grunted under my breath, rolled my eyes and basically acted like a teenager whose opinion varies greatly from her parents. My opinion definitely varied from the writers of the program. And my guess is, that yours would have too. It is just the latest in a series of examinations of the farm bill--Time, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Sunday Morning, 60 Minutes, and on and on. It would take a full time job to analyze all of the data in all of these pieces but there are a few common themes. The farm bill is making our kids fat. No, their inactivity and a high-calorie diet is making kids fat. Parents no longer expect their children to go outside and ride their bike. They allow their kids to eat highly processed foods while sitting in front of the computer or TV. Don't blame it on the farmers. The farm bill's huge price tag makes rich farmers richer. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, for the year 2005, only 7.6 percent of a farm's gross cash income comes from government payments. Sure, there are celebrities that invest in farms that don't really need subsidies to put food on the table and for the most part, farmers may have millions at risk, but they are definitely not millionaires. Farm subsidies are costing consumers several hundred dollars per person. In fact, the majority of the farm bill goes to food and nutrition programs like food stamps and school lunch programs. According to the USDA, in 2007 the farm bill outlays for food and nutrition programs will total $54.7 billion, or 61 percent of the total bill. Just over 16 percent of the total goes to the commodity title, or $14.4 billion. Listening to the reports, you would think it was the other way around. Most of the farm subsidies go to just 10 percent of the farmers. This figure conveniently leaves out the fact that USDA figures a farm as an entity with annual sales of $1,000. They classify what most of us would consider a farm, as commercial farms, or any farm that has annual sales of $250,000 or more. Those commercial farms make up 9.7 percent of the total number of farms and receive 59.5 percent of the government payments for 2005. But it is those same commercial farms that have a majority of the production, as well. I will not argue that the farm bill is perfect or that it is even mostly right. But the farm bill ensures that Americans will not go hungry. The farm bill ensures that the food we have, is safe to eat. The farm bill funds research that improves the nutrition of the products we produce. Those are the stories that never get told. Holly Martin can be reached by phone at 1-800-452-7171 ext. 1806 or e-mail at hmartin@hpj.com. 11/26/07 Date: 11/20/07
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2008. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
