YES
from members:
John Moran
Milford, CT
The current program
provides 70 percent of
its funds to 10 percent of
the farmers. Corporate
farms and landowners
who have no intention of farming
must have their benefits ended.
PHOTODISC/DAVID SCHNEIDER
Beth Beazley
Southlake, TX
Paying people to not
grow crops and taking
away incentives for
smaller farmers and
ranchers needs to
be changed.
Should farm subsidies
be eliminated?
Marty Heede
Kailua, HI
Although I support aid to
farmers, there are too
many cases of payouts
that are counterproductive
to building a basis for
improved farming and a better future.
The Bush administration is proposing to reduce farm
support programs over the next five years, resulting in a
$10 billion savings from the amount spent on farm programs
during the previous five years, excluding disaster-aid funds.
Those in favor point out that the current program
provides disproportionate benefits to a few—some of whom
are not even farmers—and is incompatible with U.S. inter-
national trade obligations, presenting an obstacle to future
free-trade agreements.
Opponents argue that the current farm safety net
helps reduce the risk of farming and ranching to ensure a
reliable food supply. By providing producers with stability
in increasingly volatile markets, they add, we can better
ensure America’s self-sufficiency and independence.
What do you think?
NO
from members:
Janelle Clodfelter
Duluth, GA
How would it be if
we were relying on
all foreign foods?
Livingston Cowling Sr.
Glen Burnie, MD
Farming in the U.S.
needs the support
to help it compete
against foreign agricultural products.
Find out more about this topic on the Web:
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/harvestingcash.pdf
www.grist.org/comments/food/2007/01/30/farm_bill2/
www.ewg.org/news/story.php?id=5747
www.somc.rochester.edu/Dec05/Schwartz.pdf
www.blonnet.com/2002/11/20/stories/2002112001980500.htm
Ruth George
Bloomington, MN
We are producing more
food with less land and
resources due to the
assurance that our
farms will be safe
from financial disaster.
