By Rene Pastor It seems simple enough. What is a farm? The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) defines it as “any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the year.” “Very large farms” are defined as having gross sales of more than $500,000.…
DetailsBy Cristine Pastor When the Mardi Gras celebration returned to New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana following the historic hurricanes of 2005, Jim Simon’s attendance as the resplendent King of New Iberia’s Krewe of Andalusia felt truly special. Simon is the manager of the American Sugar Cane League (ASCL), which represents Louisiana sugarcane farmers…
DetailsMother Nature pulled few punches in 2012. By the end of June, a majority of the continental U.S. was in some stage of drought and the continued lack of rainfall, combined with historically high temperatures, conjured up images of the Dust Bowl for rural America. The focal point of this drought was America’s breadbasket, putting…
DetailsWASHINGTON (February 4) – A diverse coalition of agricultural organizations that came together during the 2008 Farm Bill debate under the name Farm Policy Facts announced today that they are stepping up education activities during the 113th Congress. Those groups, which include the American Sugar Alliance, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers,…
DetailsLast week the National Journal headlined, “BIG OIL TAKES GLOVES OFF IN ETHANOL FIGHT.” The argument is this: The cost of producing ethanol from corn is food insecurity. Playing into their argument this year is the terrible drought that was and is smothering many parts of the U.S.—including the heart of our corn producing lands.…
DetailsLibertarian and environmental groups are urging the House of Representatives to oppose a five-year farm bill this fall, oppose inclusion of Direct Payments in an extension of current law, and advocate for a transparent farm bill process next year. These groups are entitled to express their views, but they also owe Congress the truth. Regrettably,…
Details“The weather forecast could have a big effect on America’s economic forecast next year. The more rain, the better.” That was the lead sentence in a recent article written by Jim Tankersley, the economics correspondent for the National Journal. Notice we didn’t say the “farm bill” correspondent, and Mr. Tankersley wasn’t just talking about agriculture’s…
DetailsWith less than a month left in the 2012 presidential campaign, most of the country is in a pretty dark place—metaphorically speaking. Never before have candidates had so many ways in which to communicate all the mistakes their opponents have made—and so much time to do it in. Negative ads about unemployment, the national debt…
DetailsWhile the nation’s farmers have been busy fighting the effects of one of the worst droughts on record, certain members of the media have been busy with a fight of their own. Over the past several weeks, planted articles have downplayed the importance of farm policy and, a more recent argument accused the crop insurance…
DetailsEditor’s note: The following is a guest column written by Larry Combest, who served the people of West Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly 20 years, including as Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on Agriculture. He works as a lobbyist for the firm he started with Tom…
DetailsOur nation’s farmers are less optimistic about their circumstances than they were in March, according to a recent survey published by DTN/The Progressive Farmer. Some high (and some low) lights from the survey report that, based on a benchmark rating of 100: – – Current conditions are considered to be 120.4, down from 140.2 earlier…
DetailsThe U.S. food and beverage industry should be proud. This week, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that they added 4,800 food manufacturing jobs in August, as well as an additional 4,200 related jobs in food and beverage stores, 28,300 in food and drinking establishments, and 28,000 in accommodation and food services, making them a…
DetailsBy Rene Pastor On land where wheat stalks, heavy with grain, would normally wave on a breeze in the late summer, the searing drought of 2012 has zapped nearly every inch of land across the Kansas plain, leaving it burnt and lifeless. There was no way to hide from the drought in the Grain Belt.…
DetailsThey want a Farm Bill, and they want it now. A coalition of more than 80 agricultural organizations – spanning a variety of commodities and interests – has banded together to deliver one, simple message: Let’s pass a Farm Bill. The message – which started as statement and quickly got picked up by the Tulsa…
DetailsTwo years ago, The Hand That Feeds U.S. reported on a phenomenon known as “sticky prices,” something that occurs when crop prices go down, but food prices remain high. Theses two variables are often considered one in the same but are really very independent of one another. The crop or “commodity” price is what farmers…
DetailsThe Hand That Feeds U.S. (THTFUS) has launched a new, interactive map, featuring facts about each state’s agricultural production and its contribution to the U.S. economy. The map, located on the group’s website, is yet another step taken by the “educational resource” to inform Americans about the vast reach of our agricultural system (did you…
DetailsAs one of history’s longest, most widespread droughts continues to suffocate crops and livestock nationwide, the importance of crop insurance is becoming increasingly obvious to those in agriculture. Yet, despite what the vast majority of the farmers and ranchers who are being affected by the drought and counting on the reliability and efficiency of crop…
DetailsAs the members of the Ag Committee await the fate of the Farm Bill that was recently marked up by their committee and sent to the House leadership for possible floor time, a widespread and deepening drought is gripping the nation and sending shock waves through commodity markets. A drought specialist with the national weather service…
DetailsA coalition of more than 75 farm groups sent a letter to House Agriculture Committee Chair Frank Lucas and Ranking Member Collin Peterson, to thank them for their support in moving the Farm Bill forward, and urge them to continue momentum. “Farmers need certainty about farm policy as they make annual operating decisions,” the letter…
DetailsAccording to the American Academy of Actuaries, “for a risk pool to remain viable, it must be of sufficient size and comprised of a broad cross section of risks.” In other words, in order for risky folks to have access to affordable insurance, less risky people need to participate too. This is true whether you’re…
DetailsThe Environmental Working Group (EWG) has released its latest rendition of the farm subsidy database, and this one really is a piece of work. Though Farm Policy Facts has been monitoring (and debunking) EWG attacks on rural America since 2007, EWG continues to spin complicated webs of half-truths to garner media headlines. Five years ago…
DetailsAlthough extreme environmental groups and other high-powered special interests have spent millions of dollars lobbying against U.S. farm policy in the halls of Congress and in the editorial pages of major newspapers, a new poll finds that they are not getting traction with the American public. According to the Congressional Connection Poll, conducted by Princeton…
DetailsWith payments from crop insurers to farmers approaching the $11 billion mark, 2011 will go down in the record books as one of the most destructive and costliest weather years in history. A new video series recently launched by National Crop Insurance Services captures the human side of the issue, with testimonials from farmers, a banker,…
DetailsFor those who have espoused the view that farm policies have made unhealthy food inexpensive and have thus contributed to the over-consumption of junk food, USDA says it’s time to think again. A new study, titled “Are Healthy Foods More Expensive,” found that previous assumptions about junk food being less expensive were based on a biased…
DetailsThe 2012 Farm Bill will include major funding cuts for America’s agricultural sector, and these reductions will come on top of the more than $15 billion in cuts made to farm policy in recent years to help Washington tame its crippling deficit. The scene being played out in other countries, however, is much different. While…
DetailsThe House Agriculture Committee spent much of last week discussing the future of farm policy and what the upcoming Farm Bill needs to look like in order to carry us through the various challenges that lie ahead. Testimony was presented and submitted on behalf of several farm groups, and is included below, along with accompanying…
DetailsNew York City is the fashion and financial capital of the world. Hollywood has been home to some of history’s greatest actors and agents. Detroit is known for harboring America’s auto industry, and Pittsburgh will always be able to claim that its steel helped make America. Each industry has its place in our nation’s fabric,…
DetailsEarlier this week, National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) released the first of what is to be a series of educational videos explaining the importance of crop insurance and its functionality among American agriculture. In this video, aptly titled “Crop Insurance 101,” Tom Zacharias, president of NCIS, reviews the history of the program, why it was…
DetailsCapitol Hill has been blanketed by propaganda in recent weeks from a fancy grasstops coalition comprised of the same-old-same-old opponents of sugar policy. After years of lopsided legislative defeats, the Sweetener Users Association (SUA) and National Confectioners Association (NCA) appear to have opted for a rebranding and renaming effort. So what should be made of…
DetailsDODGE CITY, KS (April 20) – Texas cotton producer Woody Anderson said here today that Congress needs to approve a new farm bill this year and one that will provide American farmers the key to long-term viability — effective risk management opportunities. A former chairman of and now advisor to the National Cotton Council, Anderson…
DetailsUnfortunately, when it comes to getting out the facts on U.S. farm policy, the First Amendment may not be enough because some in the media have decided readers should get only one side of the story. In the past, we have printed many letters to the editor and columns responding to an attack on farm…
DetailsU.S. agriculture is a driving force in our national economy, helping to lift the U.S. out of two economic recessions in the past 12 years, working to reduce our country’s trade deficit, and making our nation and world more secure by ensuring that food is safe, abundant, and affordable. And cost-effective U.S. farm policy that…
DetailsThe Senate Agriculture Committee met last week to discuss the future of agriculture’s risk management system and how best to maintain or alter its components in the upcoming Farm Bill. Below is a compilation of testimony presented and submitted for the hearing, as well as accompanying press releases. American Sugar Alliance: Testimony. Press Release. Crop…
DetailsAs Congress gears up to write another Farm Bill, some of rural America’s representatives have been urging their colleagues to act swiftly in order to keep one of America’s few remaining economic powerhouses productive. “The time to complete a farm bill is now. This Congress cannot afford to take another jobs bill down to the…
DetailsThe United States recently filed a case against India in the World Trade Organization (WTO) hoping to unclog trade channels for U.S. poultry producers. “India’s ban on U.S. poultry is clearly a case of disguising trade restrictions by invoking unjustified animal health concerns,” U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said via a press release. “The United…
DetailsA new study by Health Economics throws a bucket of cold water on assertions that try to blame U.S. farm policies for obesity rates. “Contrary to common claims in the popular media, farm policies have more likely slowed the rise in obesity in the United States,” the study finds. The authors note that “[Michael] Pollan…has…
DetailsFrom Commodity Classic (Nashville, Tenn.) – The following statement on the 2012 farm bill was released today by: National Corn Growers Association President Garry Niemeyer, a corn grower from Auburn, Ill.; National Association of Wheat Growers President Wayne Hurst, a wheat producer from Burley, Idaho; American Soybean Association President Steve Wellman, soybean farmer from Syracuse,…
DetailsBy Larry Combest Growing up and working on my own family farm during hard times, and devoting much of my adult life to U.S. agriculture, it is a source of pride that I was privileged to help put in place the kind of farm policies that pulled the sector out of crisis and have contributed…
DetailsBloomberg News ran an editorial titled “Farmers Making $100 Billion Don’t Need Subsidies to Grow” that was picked up by a handful of newspapers. The title alone struck a nerve in rural America. Farmers and ranchers who have suffered everything from severe drought to unforgiving wind and rain, and in many cases, the loss of…
DetailsTogether, America’s farmers make up an economic powerhouse. They are a cornerstone of this nation’s security and prosperity—an engine leading us toward an economic recovery—and yet, so often, their value is taken for granted or overlooked. But America’s farmers are not just creating wealth here at home, they are buttressing the whole world — a fact that…
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