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This is only peripheral to your discussion, but - on the topic of farm subsidies, there is some data the Americans may want to look at. In the 1990's, New Zealand phased out ALL farm subsidies. There was some short-term pain for farmers, but they quickly adapted, and today NZ farmers are doing extremely well. So don't let anyone tell you ending subsidies will kill the family farmer - it might just be the best thing that could happen to them. The following link is to an old article, but it has a lot of detail about this issue.
http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0303/newzealand_...
The family farmer doesn't exist here in any large quantity. Most food is produced by mega-corporations that see their product as nothing more than a commodity to be traded. The small farmers, ironically, aren't even eligible for most farm subsidies, because they often grow fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are not subsidized and comprise a tiny fraction of agricultural products. Its funny (sad, really) that it is literally impossible for everyone in the US to eat the government recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, because there aren't enough grown to satisfy that volume. To my knowledge, the only crops with large subsidies are corn, soybeans and cotton; mostly corn, which is mostly low grade corn that is either stored in silos or fed to livestock. I think all should be done away with en masse, but at the very least they could subsidize that which is healthy.
Edit: I actually don't think its peripheral to the topic. Its really important, because each of these things is about the government acting as shills for a very small number of people, while destroying the world for the rest of us.
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briandmyers · 4351 days ago · link ·
The sugar and corn subsidies (including corn-based ethanol) are the worst in their effects on the marketplace, IMHO. You are correct though; it may already be too late to "save the family farmer".
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thenewgreen · 4351 days ago · link ·
The "family farmer" is making a come back through CSA's throughout the country. The farmers markets are becoming more popular every year. My cousin just gave up a pretty sweet marketing gig to leave Chicago and go live on a farm for a year and "connect". He's loving it.
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That's the problem though, isn't it. People want to farm good food, and the rest of us want to eat it. But we can't afford it, because the price of factory farmed beef and corn is artificially low. It should be more fair, especially considering the original intent of the farm bill was to help the little guy.