Farm Subsidies Essay

There are a lot different people and organizations that advocate for you and the American Farm Bureau (AFBF), is one of the largest. The mission they state is, "AFBF is the unified

-Mohair farmers have earned a subsidy from the federal government for decades because the mohair farmers can get large payments from the government without taxpayers ever really noticing because the farmers who get the subsidy care a lot about it, while the rest of us taxpayers (paying mere pennies extra in taxes) do not really care. And, “any politician with a preference for job security can calculate that a vote for the mohair subsidy will earn the strong support of the mohair farmers while costing nothing among other voters” (Wheelan 177).

America — a land known for its ideals of freedom and new opportunities, a nation built under the idea that every man and women is created equal. However, the definition of what makes a person an American is entirely different from what it is that makes up America, itself. J.Hector St. John Crevecoeur, author of Letters from an American Farmer (1782), exposes what he believes makes an American. However, when compared to the standards of what makes an American in today’s world, it seems that becoming an American then was much simpler then, than it is today. The definition of an American is always evolving due to the influences of our changing nation. During a simpler time, Crevecoeur defined an American as someone of European

According to VisionLaunch, people are worried about their papers full of responsibility: money. This corn fuel drives up the price of food products. This means that corn is more expensive since it is being used for fuel. It is a fact that corn is being used more for fuel than food, which is why it is more expensive. Subsidies are to help take care of that problem and reduce the amount of money corn is worth. However, there is a problem because the subsidies are funded by taxpayers which is not affecting us or

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

The federal food stamp program (SNAP), makes up the largest portion of the budget for the US Department of Agriculture.1 In New York alone 15.3% of residents receive benefits from the SNAP program.2 The purpose of SNAP is to provide nutrition to low-income citizens, however SNAP beneficiaries experience higher rates of obesity compared non-reciepiants.3 According to a report published by the USDA, Americans use food stamps to buy more than $600 million worth of “sweetened beverages,” and bought hundreds of millions more of junk food and sugary snacks.4 Lack of regulation and reform to the SNAP program is causing harm to the public.

1. Railroads- Railroads in each area were often controlled by one company, enabling those railroads to charge what they wanted. Railroads were the only way for many western farmers to get their produce to market and high prices were always charged. Railroads controlled storage, elevators, and warehouses so the prices the farmers paid were very high.

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.

In this day and age, less than 2% of people in the United States is involved in the production of food for the remaining 98% of citizens in the country. Among discussions occurring in the 2%, one common topic is a lack of education about agriculture in the general public. Prior to high school, I am ashamed to admit, but I was one of the people who would have answered that my milk came from a grocery store. As a project one year, I went to the grocery store and interviewed shoppers as to their knowledge about agriculture. Many of them had a similar belief as I once had, food starts at the grocery store. Upon my entrance into high school, I quickly became involved in the National FFA Organization. Many of my family members gave me crazy looks

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.

America, the rules and regulations around the H-2A program, or lack thereof, have profound economic and social impact on the U.S. agricultural labor force as a whole.

Additionally, big business controls the farmers by capitalizing on widely used commodities. For example, the company Monsanto which is based in St. Louis, Missouri protects its dominance over the genetically modified crops such as the soy bean with the use of a patent law. Because of this, Monsanto’s patented genes “account for 95 percent of all soy beans and 80 percent of all corn grown in the U.S.,” (Associated Press). Although genetically modifying the soy bean crop has made it more readily available and more sustainable, this comes at a high price to farmers. Monsanto continues to raise their prices, which forces farmers to accrue even more debt, and there is no sign of the rise in the seed prices stopping. Since a lot of the farmers are under contract with Monsanto, there is nothing they can do about this unethical policy in fear of losing their job.

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

I woke up before my alarm. A distant square of eerie half-twilight from the window held the familiar outline of the locust tree. In the dark, I fumbled to dress without waking my parents. I slipped outside.

The Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) started as a simple price support policy in 1962, and has since been a controversial and widely debated topic with many critics questioning the fundamentals of its operations. Additionally, the CAP concerns and has an impact on an array of areas, not simply farming. The policy aims to tackle issues prevalent to the environment from, the effects on the environment and biodiversity to animal welfare and jobs. This report aims to; explain and analyse how and why the CAP was implemented, how it operates, and provide insight into how and why reforms have been carried out with an evaluation of these reforms.