You have to hand it to the National Association of FSA County Office Employees (NASCOE). While nearly everyone else is calling on the private sector to do more and the government to do less, NASCOE is proposing to expand the role of government by urging Congress to end the highly successful private sector delivery of…
DetailsAs a former chief economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture I can attest to the fact that farming is indeed a risky business. News reports out of USDA’s Risk Management Agency underscore that point all too clearly: With some 15 percent of all crop insurance claims yet to be processed, crop insurance companies have…
DetailsGiven Bloomberg News’ expertise in financial markets and the U.S. economy, their editors’ unexpected attack on one of America’s few fiscal success stories came as a big shock. Agriculture—and by extension, America’s food and fiber supply—isn’t worth much government investment, Bloomberg’s editors surmised in a January 30 opinion piece. Try telling that to the 21…
DetailsAgricultural leaders representing most major crops convened January 31 and February 1 in Washington, D.C., to discuss the 2012 Farm Bill. Hosting key policy staff, administration officials, and industry experts, the groups gained a new depth of knowledge on which to build their discussions. From the meeting, there was a consensus that the agricultural community…
DetailsAgriculture is a unique industry in so many ways. One particular way—it is perhaps the only area of the federal budget to have shrunk in the past 10 years, yielding cuts even as it was coming in under budget. Funding for farm policy over the last five years (’07-’11) averaged $12.9 billion per year. This…
DetailsWith claims still streaming in — only an estimated 81 percent of expected claims have been finalized — crop insurance companies have already paid out a record $9.1 billion in indemnity payments to America’s farmers in 2011. This has already surpassed the former record of $8.67 billion in indemnities paid in 2008, according to USDA’s…
DetailsWestern Sugar, a company now owned by farmers, closed its Goodland, Kan., sugarbeet factory in 1985. Sugar prices were low, the cost of doing business was climbing, and tough decisions were made that hurt workers and farmers. The Kansans who lost their jobs weren’t alone. From 1985 to 2008 low sugar prices remained stagnant as…
DetailsOpponents of U.S. ethanol—Brazil, Big Oil, and multinational food conglomerates looking to drive down farmer prices to boost their own profits—have a tendency to blame the alternative fuel for just about everything. And just when we didn’t think it could get more absurd than the off-the-wall argument that American corn farmers are to blame for…
DetailsAs the United States Congress begins debate of the 2012 Farm Bill, America’s biggest competitors on the global marketplace have been steadily increasing their rates of subsidization, according to a study by DTB Associates. And one of the biggest offenders is also one of the biggest agricultural superpowers and biggest critics of U.S. farm policy:…
DetailsAgriculture has had a strong year. We’ve been reading reports of farms prospering for the better part of a year now. In October it was said that Iowa’s corn and soybean crop alone would almost quadruple the state’s budget. Just last month, the USDA announced that farm exports reached a record high of $137.4 billion…
DetailsA new study of official foreign government data unearthed by DTB Associates shows that a rapid run-up in farm subsidies have put many developing nations, including Brazil Thailand, and India, in direct violation of internationally agreed to subsidization limits. The findings are consistent with a detailed handbook of foreign farm subsidies by Texas Tech University,…
DetailsThe nation’s capital has become synonymous with gridlock—and not just because it is home to one of the worst commutes in the country. With elections looming and elected leaders from both sides of the aisle dug in, Congress and the Administration have put the brakes on nearly everything. But a debt reduction bill crafted by…
DetailsFollowing its anti-farm editorial last week, The Washington Post received two letters to the editor taking exception with its extreme stance. Not surprisingly, the newspaper failed to publish either letter, so Farm Policy Facts obliged. ——– Dear Editor: By any reasonable measure, your calling for the termination of U.S. farm policy is extreme. The Post…
DetailsSitting on a combine for 12 hours a day harvesting corn and soybeans gives a person a certain degree of clarity, combined with long blocks of time to think and analyze. Looking at the corn I’m harvesting, I marvel at the fact that somehow, my family farm managed to dodge the many bullets Mother Nature…
DetailsShoppers won’t be scared off by a rocky economic outlook this Halloween. And their appetite for delicious candy is certain to be a treat for America’s thriving confectionery industry. “Consumer spending for Halloween is expected to be spirited this year, with sales of $6.9 billion, up from $5.8 billion in 2010, according to a National Retail Federation…
DetailsShort of a farm bill vote, or a piece of agricultural legislation moving across the President’s desk for signature, big-city newspapers rarely focus on farm-related news. But that’s exactly what happened recently. It began on October 23 when the Houston Chronicle credited crop insurance with saving “Texas farmers from ruin.” More than 41,000 farmers in…
DetailsCritics of farm policy often like to label it a “New Deal” policy. Their hope is to make the policies that underpin the best food system in the history of the world sound outdated. Never mind the fact that farm policies have undergone radical changes since that time to keep pace with modern challenges and…
DetailsOctober 19, 2011 Dear Senator: We urge you to oppose amendments to the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill that propose to alter or negatively affect the mandatory funding for U.S. farm policies. As you know, the agriculture appropriations bill, as reported by the committee, fully complies with discretionary spending guidelines. This is the end…
DetailsOctober 31, 2011 marks a milestone that might be far more frightening than the ghosts and goblins that will be roaming the streets that night. According to an official United Nations report, the world’s population will peak at 7 billion people on that day. And future projections show a rapid ascent to 9 billion by…
DetailsIt’s no secret that agriculture is vital to the American economy. Each state is unique in its ability to produce, add value to, and package products that not only make up our own food supply, but also fuel a booming global export industry that continues to thrive, despite the current economic climate. Recently, the Federal…
DetailsThis state’s motto is “Strength from the Soil.” It appears on the coat of arms, as well as the governor’s flag—and for good reason. North Dakota literally draws its economic strength straight from the soil—almost 90 percent of which is dedicated to farming. Agriculture makes up about 32 percent of the state’s economy. Even the…
DetailsThe Administration is pushing a new plan that would injure one of the few sectors in our economy that is actually creating jobs and helping offset an otherwise gloomy fiscal situation. As has happened in three of the last six years, rural America is being called upon to give more than its fair share in…
DetailsWith the floodwaters rising and the nation’s attention focused on the looming Midwest destruction, government officials asked me to make an enormous sacrifice. They needed my farmland to extend and build up a levee to hold back an unprecedented wall of water. If I said yes, it would save millions of dollars for businesses, homes…
DetailsTourists may go to Georgia to pick the peaches, but the state’s agricultural production reaches far beyond those bountiful branches. Georgia ranks first in the country in production of peanuts, pecans, rye, eggs and broilers. In fact, Georgia produces almost half of the peanuts produced in the United States each year—an operation that valued more…
DetailsThe House Agriculture Committee Chairman and Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member released the following statement on Sept. 19, 2011. Lucas & Roberts Respond to the President’s Debt Plan WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Frank Lucas (R-OK), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, and U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee,…
DetailsBy all accounts, 2011 looked like a banner year for American agriculture. In May, despite flooding and late planting, USDA forecasted a record crop in corn—by far America’s largest row crop—of 13.5 million bushels, covering 92 million acres of prime farmland. With corn being an important crop domestically—producing food, fuel, and feed—and being a huge export…
DetailsAs the 46th state to join the Union, Oklahoma may have been a little late to the party, but when it arrived, it had plenty to offer. Aside from the strong winds and thunderstorms that Oklahoma is known for (thanks to a popular show tune), the state is blessed with a productive agricultural system, the…
DetailsAs Congress recessed in August, overworked staffers breathed a sigh of relief, anxiously awaiting some well-deserved peace and quiet. Then the earth shook…literally. And the earthquake that rocked DC was followed by a damaging hurricane, which was followed by an entire week of non-stop rain and flooding from a tropical storm. Then Congress came back…
DetailsAgriculture is collectively holding its breath as the “super committee” meets to determine where the $1.2 trillion worth of federal budget funds will be cut. Having already shouldered more than $12 billion in cuts for deficit reduction in the past several years, farmers and ranchers feel the pain that other sectors have yet to experience.…
DetailsWhile Michigan may be known for its lakes and its cars, its economy is fueled by ten million acres of land: farmland that is. Michigan can grow more than 200 products that contribute to the nation’s food and fiber supply—making it the second most diverse agricultural state in the nation and a virtual America in…
DetailsIt’s no great surprise when a well-funded libertarian think tank full of Washington policy wonks pushes for the belief that the federal government should not be involved in crop insurance and other key farm policies. But those of us in farming know better. All we need to do is to remember the recent floods, droughts…
DetailsTexas is an exceptional state, and most Texans will be happy to explain why that’s so. Unfortunately, for this year, that term also applies to the bone-dry conditions we’ve seen unfold over the last 12 months. Texas, it seems, is locked in what weather experts call “an exceptional drought,” something many parts of the state…
DetailsIn the film classic, “12 Angry Men”, jurors deliberate the fate of an accused on trial, the outcome of which could mean life or death. 11 of the 12 walked into the jury deliberation room ready to return a guilty verdict without a discussion, some because of personal, long-held prejudices and others because they just…
DetailsIssue Summary: Having a strong agricultural sector that provides an abundant and affordable supply of food and fiber is key to any country’s security, which explains why most countries have farm policies in place to help promote and sustain domestic production. A key component to America’s food, fiber, and farm policy is crop insurance, a…
DetailsIssue Summary: Ethanol is the only commercially viable biofuel alternative to gasoline available in the U.S. today. In addition to creating thousands of jobs, cutting emissions and reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil imports, grain ethanol is also a bridge fuel technology, which, along with second generation biofuels, has the potential of eventually replacing up…
DetailsFarm Bill to Determine Future Success Stories about the post 2008 credit crunch conjure up immediate feelings of anxiety and churning stomachs as many remember what was the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Banks that survived the crash became much more stringent about who they provided loans to. Consumers wishing…
DetailsSugar is an important ingredient in the U.S. food supply and is found in almost everything we eat. In addition to desserts and other treats, sugar makes wholesome food more palatable, acts as a bulking agent in baking, and is a key preservative that keeps foods from perishing. Following massive sugar shortages caused by dependence…
DetailsIssue Summary: The National Journal recently reported about the ongoing budget discussions on Capitol Hill: Fiscal watchdogs and lawmakers from both parties have painted the clash as an opportunity to make a significant step toward shifting the country off its unsustainable path, but a deal that doesn’t address revenue and entitlements, which would likely have…
DetailsI believe there to be a set of basic guiding principles that should direct Congress’s work on the Farm Bill. Foremost, we must recognize that U.S. agriculture is an intricate component of our jobs, economy, and national security. Basing arguments and legislative proposals on pure emotion and skewed statistics is reckless and opens the door…
DetailsWhen I first got word that Miss America 2011, Teresa Scanlan, was interested in helping spread agriculture’s good message, I had some reservations. Blinded by stereotypes and generalizations, I figured an 18-year-old pageant winner couldn’t possibly be an effective spokesperson for an industry as serious and established as agriculture. An industry this revered, I thought,…
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