Farm subsidies have become an somewhat debated topic in recent year, with increasing numbers of critics believing that these are detrimental not only to the economy, but also by implication to the health of Americans. Subsidies are offered by the USDA to farmers of commodity crops such as corn, wheat, rice, and livestock such as cattle. This makes these types of food cheaper than other, potentially healthier choices such as organic products. Farm subsidies were initially implemented after the Great Depression to help farmers cope with the economic effects after the Depression years. In other words, they were to stimulate the economy after the difficult years of the downturn. Although initially intended as a temporary measure, the subsidies remained part of the government assistance program for farmers even today. As a proponent of this system, my viewpoint is that farm subsidies ultimately benefits the United States in terms of protecting domestic product against foreign competition, national security, and American food aid to poorer countries.
Farm subsidies help farmers to keep the prices of their products low and competitive in the international market. This means that national farmers and their products receive sufficient support and revenue to keep them in business. If this were not the case, there is a danger that retailers will begin to find foreign markets from which to important even basic foods such as corn and meat. The danger here is then that many American
The increase in corn production and acreage that comes from FAIRA is yet another slap in the face to the American farmer. By allowing for increased corn production on top of the already surplus of corn that domestic farms already produce, the government is actively lowering the price of corn on the market, making it less profitable for farms to grow and forcing a lot of farms to close down. In the Great Depression era, the United States government under President Roosevelt took to subsidizing and buying up excess stores of corn to maintain crop prices and prevent the collapse of the farming industry in the United States (Pollan 49). This protects farmers and allows them to make a living while also providing reasonably priced crops to feed the country with. The Nixon administration began the trend of deregulation in the 1970s, preferring a free
If Congress proceeds with legislative revision to SNAP and WIC will lead to economic change in the agricultural production sector in the U.S. economy. Legislative changes like SNAP recipients no longer being able to purchase items like soft drinks and prepackaged food would be substituted for food staples like rice and wheat. While the WIC program would be adding white potatoes to the list of healthier foods options. Because of these changes in SNAP Legislation will allow rice farmers to be better off, sugar farmers to be worst off, wheat farmers to be better off, and white potatoes farmers to be worst off because increased demand for food staples and decrease in demand in sugary products since they are no longer eligible
continuation in producing very high amounts of corn and different corn products which has only added to the corruption of the nitrogen cycle but also the agricultural system which has only negatively impacted the American diet. Pollan continues to support his claim of how the government supports and benefits farmers for their corn by bringing up that the US Department of Agriculture pays nineteen billion dollars to farmers each year for their continuation in the production of corn.
Although farm subsidies all have their roots to one major piece of legislation, there are multiple variations that are common. One of such subsidy programs allows farmers to counter fluctuations in various aspects of their production. If prices for a crop take astounding hikes or fall dramatically, subsidies can provide in time of need. This is the most well-known farm subsidy program, but there are other aspects that get remarkably overlooked. Even insurance coverage, product marketing, research and conservation efforts are subsidized under the current Farm Bill. With the present situation, many Americans believe that the government carries too much control in the agricultural market. For a more detailed breakdown of where the funding in the Farm Bill goes to, see the pie chart below for a reference. These numbers are accurate as of the 2014 Farm Bill, per the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
The American farmer has consistently been ignored by past administrations much to their detriment. As President that will change, our nation will work hand in hand with the American farmer and we will ensure that there is a Secretary of Agriculture in place that is friendly to the needs of farmers across our country. In many ways the health of agriculture in the United States is a measure of the health of the country. And as we have allowed an influx of foreign goods into our markets it has created a competitive barrier that has made it difficult for farmers to compete. Foreign competition is of course a benefit to our economic progress as a nation and it is something that should be encouraged but in a sensible way that does not force our
agricultural products, which might end Mexican crop subsidies. They argued that this would significantly reduce the income and affect the living standards of many southern Mexican farmers. They would not be able to compete with the subsidized, artificially fertilized, mechanically harvested, and genetically modified imports from the United States.
State Farm has asked whether it has a duty to defend the insured pursuant to the insured’s homeowners policy. It is our opinion that State Farm has no duty to defend the insured under the insured’s homeowners policy. The insured’s homeowners policy entitled the insured to a defense for “a suit brought against an insured for damages because of bodily injury or property damage to which this coverage applies, caused by an occurrence.” In this case, these elements initially triggering the insured’s homeowners policy are likely satisfied. Nevertheless, the SECTON II – Exclusions section provides that the liability coverage does not apply to any of the fifteen exclusions specifically enumerated therein.
With our nation sliding from its high ranks of production, it is more essential than ever to produce more and assist those who don't have the resources in their hometown. Federal programs, such as Feeding America, help rise the American households in need out of food insecurities. Currently farmers across the nation have a negative output growth. From 1948 to currently, within the last five years, the average output growth rate has decreased by a little over 1 percent. As the years went on the output growth rate has declined, meaning only one thing, the farmers can't make enough food for this nation. With this number being in the negatives that means that the farmers aren't even making enough to beat the ever growing demand, instead they are falling short of the requirements. But the input, such as labor, capital and materials, is increasing. Since the average was taken between the years of 2000 and 2007 the amount of labor hours has gone up by almost 10%, the amount of capital has increased by almost 0.1%, and the materials has substantially gone up by about 0.7%. Using another table, the USDA included the total factor productivity rates, which have also declined by 0.02%. With numbers like these our nation needs to provide more help to the farmers who slave over the land. The farmers need more land, workers and money in order to even continue with their average
America’s vast food supply has increased. Foods that were once hard to come by can be found in almost all the grocery stores across the nation. In the article “What’s Eating America”, by Michael Pollan, who is a professor of journalism, explains how the bounty of food came about. He writes about the creation of synthetic fertilizer and how it was used to fertilize crops and essentially make all the foods today. He writes about the harmful effects that are occurring as a result of the chemically made fertilizer. In another article called written by Katherine Spriggs, a student from Stanford University, she writes about the benefits of buying local versus becoming dependent on the import of food. She feels that buying from local farms
(Sub-Point # 1) One major influence on the great increase in the U.S.’s corn production is its great economic benefit for our local and national economies through tax revenue and employment. Corn is a subsidized crop in the U.S., meaning that American farmers are paid a guaranteed price by the government, in addition to the profit of their yield, just for growing corn (“U.S and Employment,” 2015). This creates a safety net for American farmers to start farming corn leading to the emersion of almost 2 million individual or family owned corn farms (“U.S and Employment,” 2015). Not only does
The Agriculture sector has changed monumentally over the past century in response to vast economic change and technological advancements. Farm subsidies are various forms of payments from the federal government put in place in an effort to stabilize prices, keep farmers in business, and ensure quality of crops. The federal government currently pays $20 billion in cash each year to US farmers and spent an estimated $250 billion between 1995-2005. Presently, a new farm bill is passed every five years
Young’s musical and song writing influence awarded him with excellent praise, but none of his songs impacted others’ lives quite like his work in charities like the Farm Aid organization. Throughout the 1980’s farmers faced a situation similar to the one in the Great Depression. Prices for farm products and land were very low which forced millions of family farmers to move off of their own land. In 1985, Young worked with John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson to create Farm Aid, an organization whose mission is to, “Raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land.” Since their start in 1985, Farm Aid has continued to become more successful by completing their mission and making more people
Poverty is an authentic life issue people all over the world continue to struggle with. There are many countries that try to help those in poverty, but a complete solution has not been found. Although there are countless definitions of poverty, according to Schwartz, he states in his article the United States Government says; “Poverty is a state of deprivation, or a lack of the usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions”. The government calculates poverty based on the total income a person may receive and it does not include non-cash supplements (Schwartz).
Agricultural subsidies is a very complex and controversial economic topic today. It will continue to be a hot topic as government continues it. It is largely debated in the United States as well as in other countries. The reason it is so largely debated is because it literally have an effect on the entire world market. Not to mention that the farm has been booming the last 5 to 10 years. This topic also tends to draw strong opinions in our area in particular due to the large agricultural community in our region. However, even within different states there are many supporters as well as opponents to these government subsidies.
Today the majority of our farm bill is dedicated to food assistance programs. In 2013 through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program (SNAP) the U.S fed 47.6 million citizens at the cost of 76.4 billion. Another food assistance program called WIC has fed 9 million woman, infants, and children at the price of 7 billion. The American government is doing a tremendous job at feeding the less fortunate through these programs but like many programs they need to be improved. Through the SNAP program participants are able to spend taxpayer money on sugar filled soft drinks and candy. The new bill that is being prepared will limit the purchase of these unnecessary products. This bill will restrict participants to simple food staples such as bread, beans, fruit, vegetables and rice. The new bill will also add white potatoes to the WIC program. These changes that need to be made will contribute in boosting the demand of multiple commodities and help eliminate unneeded aid to unhealthy foods.