GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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The Farm Bill 2012Conservation Programs at Risk Annie Ager Vice Chairman September 2011
The Farm Bill for 2008 is only just behind us and the Farm Bill of 2012 fast approaching. As Sarah Young points out in her excellent report, the Farm Bill affects 45% of all land in the U.S. The bill defines policy and monies for the land and the programs affecting the land. The breakdown of the budget (roughly) for agriculture under the farm bill is nutrition (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps, WIC, etc.) 67-74%, Commodities 13%, Conservation 7%, other 6 % including US Forest Service.(1) Because of the current deficit, cuts to these programs are inevitable. Our effort will be to keep them from taking it all from conservation. The giant share of the agriculture budget, nutrition, has grown substantially during the economic downturn. Cutting nutrition programs has been suggested in the Agriculture Committees of both the Senate and the House but probably will not happen. The interesting question for the committees is whether or not because of the huge amount of money being distributed, Representatives from urban areas should be members of the committee. (2)
The Commodity Program (13% of the farm budget) distributes money for direct payments to farmers, subsidies and crop insurance for farmers. Direct payments, a program supposed to be temporary, started in 1996, gives money directly to farmers to encourage production. Subsidies are agricultural payments made to farmers that guarantee prices for commodities. Crop insurance provides insurance i case of crop failure. Farmers pay into this program. Five crops get 90% of the government subsidies: corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton and rice. Subsidies keep the cost of these products low for the consumer, high for the producer and have encouraged enormous production especially of corn and soybeansPillars of the American Diet-featuring an unnaturally large consumption of meat, never before seen junk food and a bizarre avoidance of plants-as well as increasing the fortunes of Pepsi, Dunkin Donuts, KFC and others that have relied on cheap corn and soy to build their empires of unhealthful food.(3) Most subsidy money and direct payments go to large farms. From 1995 to the present 10% of subsidized farms collected 76% of payments. 60 % of American farms receive no subsidies or direct payments. (4)
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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Crop Insurance is used by large farms and smaller producers. (Apples I know from experience. We
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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GCA Conservation/NAL Reports October, 2011 - Google Docs
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