New Videos Illustrate Support for Farmers & the ‘Dire Consequences’ for Gutting Farm Policy
A pair of videos, released this week from agricultural groups, seeks to educate Americans on the bipartisan support for America’s farmers.
Our View: A Big Fat Farce Returns
Crop prices are low, which means it’s high time for farm policy critics to trot out one of the most absurd criticisms of farm policy ever used.
New Study Reveals a Shocking Lack of Knowledge about Farm Policy at Farmers’ Expense
A major medical journal with a private vetting process published a study from authors with a clear agenda to attack one part of farm policy by using old data and one title of an even older farm bill to make a dubious association between farm policy and obesity.
A Wide Array of Voices Rally in Defense of the Farm Bill
It is not every day that there is widespread agreement in our nation’s Capitol, especially when it comes to budget matters. So, it is significant to highlight when such accord is demonstrably on display.
Shining A Light on Women in Agriculture One Photo at a Time
“Where are the women?” was not an existential question Marji Guyler-Alaniz asked herself one day after leaving her corporate job of 11 years. Rather it was a realization that the imagery – and perhaps even the perception – of the American farmer needed an update.
Pulling Back the Curtain on EWG’s Playbook
It is easier to sell fear than facts. This is a concept that the Environmental Working Group (EWG) knows all too well and has built a brand and an empire based on that business model. But, people are catching on to that game.
2015: A Year in Review with Farm Policy Facts
From continued attacks on the farm safety net in Washington to a sour farm economy, Farm Policy Facts takes a look at the top agriculture stories of 2015.
ICYMI: History Demonstrates the Importance of a Farm Safety Net
If my family had kept the farm, I would have been a fourth-generation farmer of a grain operation. But they couldn’t.
ICYMI: Don’t Squeeze Farmers to Balance the Budget
The United States should stop trying to balance its budget on the backs of farmers. It is bad policy, and there’s no room for further reductions.
Our View: An Attack On One Farmer’s Policy Is An Attack Upon All
The Farm Bill is needed now more than ever, and no thinly veiled plot by anti-farmer forces to pry open the Farm Bill is acceptable. An attack on one farmer’s policy is an attack upon all as far as we are concerned.
ICYMI: ‘Agriculture, as whole, rose up and said enough is enough’
“Agriculture, as a whole, rose up and said enough is enough,” said Steve Verett, the Executive Vice President of the Plains Cotton Growers.
Ag Outlook Underscores Importance of Capital, Strong Farm Policy
The next few years very well may be defining for the future outlook of agriculture. And the whole world has a lot riding on the outcome.
American Farm Families Expected to Lose Half their Farm Income this Year
USDA forecasts that when all is said and done, American farmers will have a combined farm income that is less than half of what it was just two years ago. This alone is staggering. But it may well mark just the beginning of a depressed farm economy the effects of which may very well adversely impact the entire sector and cascade across other sectors of our economy.
#ICYMI: Cuts to the Farm Safety Net Jeopardize a National Asset
If ever we lose the hard-working independent family farms that take care of the nation’s landscape while producing a diverse set of crops more reliably and efficiently than any farm sector in history, then, and only then will we truly understand the value they provide.
#ICYMI: Fight Foreign Subsidies, Don’t Unilaterally Disarm
Unilateral disarmament will do nothing to help U.S. consumers or a U.S. economy that depends on a thriving agricultural sector. It will only reward China and other bad actors, while leaving hardworking American farmers powerless the next time storm clouds gather.
Our View: Cultivating the Next Generation of Farmers
We have a strong foundation for cultivating the next generation of farmers in the 2014 Farm Bill, but the law needs to be fully implemented for any of this to matter. Although it is on the books for five years, it is likely to be under attack during the annual appropriations process.
#ICYMI: Evolution of farm policy benefits farmers, taxpayers
Some stereotypes about U.S. farm policy just won’t die. For example, the belief that farmers get paid for not growing; or that benefits just go to big agribusinesses; or that farm spending is out of control. Such criticisms make splashy headlines but are no longer relevant thanks to the significant evolution of farm policy over the past 20 years
Capitol Hill Leaders Dismiss EWG
“EWG has no credibility.” Farm Policy Facts has been saying this for years about the Environmental Working Group (EWG), and it looks like quite a few Capitol Hill leaders agree. The direct quote came from House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), who spoke last week to The Hagstrom Report. Peterson was not alone in giving EWG a congressional smack down.
Our View: Despite Reforms, Farmers Face Same Old Depressing Attacks
Sometimes it seems like farm policy critics are stuck in the past, using the same old set of talking points for every congressional debate instead of taking the time to update them to reflect the real reforms that are underway.
Facts & Resources
Farm Policy Facts puts useful information about agricultural policy in one centralized place. With news exclusives, information from across heartland, and key facts about America’s farming community in one destination, FarmPolicyFacts.org is a must-read for policymakers, the media, and all interested parties involved in agricultural policy. Key Facts America’s farmers not only produce the world’s…
DetailsOur View: America’s Farmers Have Answered the Call for Budget Cuts
In times like these, Washington should be applauding the agricultural community for the contributions it has already made, not working to make things even harder by jeopardizing the one thing farmers should be able to count on: the just-passed farm safety net.
A Taxing Budget for Farmers
Much has been made about the President’s FY2016 budget and its proposed cuts to the risk management tools on which farmers depend. In fact, leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees have been critical of the budget for its attack on crop insurance, and lawmakers recently received a pointed letter on the subject from…
A Big Bang for the Buck
Farm policy is a cost-effective safety net that supports the only industry to touch us all at least three times a day. Americans spend 10% of their incomes on food – the lowest of any country. Spending on farm policy including crop insurance was down 20% over the past five years. These policies account for…
Real Facts
21 million Americans produce, process and sell food and fiber. U.S. farms and ranches spent $329 billion to produce $388 billion in goods in 2012. America exported $136 billion in farm goods in 2011, with a $37 billion trade surplus. Americans spend 10% of their incomes on food – the lowest of any country. Spending…
Thanks Kansas City Star for Giving a Voice to Farmers
The merits of having a strong farm policy, including risk management tools like crop insurance, are many times overlooked, dismissed, and even criticized by the leading papers and media outlets of the day. Instead, the critics of farm policy are given far more opportunities to rail against our nation’s secure food supply and the people…
Bah Humbug: WSJ Letters Go Unpublished
In true Ebenezer Scrooge-like fashion, opponents of farm policy used Christmas Eve as a workday to criticize the men and women who helped put holiday meals on tables from coast to coast. The attack came in the form of a Dec. 24 Wall Street Journal op-ed penned by Bruce Babcock and Vincent Smith, and…
Our View: An Apology Would Be Nice
When commodity prices were strong, farm incomes were up, and the agricultural sector was credited with helping offset some of the economic misery caused by the housing crisis, not too many people seemed happy for America’s farmers. Quite the opposite. A lot of folks used the positive economic situation to attack agriculture and farm…
2012 Ag Census Up Close: Smart Farm Policies Essential To Young Farmers
The number of young farmers is trending modestly upwards, according to 2012 Ag Census released earlier this year. Young, beginning principal operators who reported their primary occupation as farming increased 11.3 percent from 36,396 to 40,499 between 2007 and 2012. This increase in new blood is a welcome sight for a sector that has…
Senator Mike Johanns: Farm Bill Tools Help Manage Risk, Guard Economy
The following column by Senator Mike Johanns is the most recent installment in the Senator’s weekly column series. Nebraska is no stranger to the forces of Mother Nature. From violent thunderstorms and tornadoes to blizzards to drought, we’ve seen many heart wrenching examples of destructive weather. This is especially true for our state’s ag…
Farm Policy Facts Calls On Lawmakers to Reject Additional Harmful Amendments to Farm Bill
In addition to the list of harmful amendments FPF circulated earlier today, additional attempts to damage the Farm Bill have surfaced. Farm Policy Facts urges members of Congress to oppose any amendment during the appropriations process that would harm the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill) or crop insurance, including: Royce Amendment to Shift USDA…
Members of Congress Voice Opposition to Rep. Kind’s Anti-Privacy Amendment
Moments after Farm Policy Facts sent out a note urging members to vote no on Rep. Ron Kind’s (D-WI) anti-privacy amendment, the Dear Colleague letter below was distributed by Reps. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tom Rice (R-SC), and Henry Cuellar (D-TX). The Kind amendment is bad policy and should be rejected—as should all attempts to reopen…
Farm Policy Facts Urges Lawmakers to Reject Harmful Amendments to Farm Bill
Farm Policy Facts urges members of Congress to oppose any amendment during the appropriations process that would harm the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill) or crop insurance, including: The Kind Amendment to Disclose Private Farmer Information The Kind Amendment would strip out ALL privacy protections for farmers and ranchers participating in crop insurance, resulting…
America’s Farmers and Ranchers Call On Congress To Do No Harm To Farm Bill
More than 30 agriculture groups are calling on Congress to oppose any amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations bill that would undo the careful compromises of the bipartisan 2014 Farm Bill, including the important risk management tools provided through the federal crop insurance program. The Farm Bill was enacted into law only four months ago and…
The Heritage Foundation Continues Slide from Respected Think Tank to Propagandist
The Heritage Foundation recently published a new report detailing its 10 “guiding principles” for agriculture. As in the case of other reports, this report also departs from the respected analysis Heritage was once known for in favor of what appears to be the talking point of donors. Over the years, Heritage increasingly starts with…
Helena Independent Record Guest Editorial: Agriculture At Historic, Pivotal Point
The following guest editorial by Bing Von Bergen, past president of the National Association of Wheat Growers, recently appeared in the Helena Independent Record: When the 2014 Farm Bill became law, it marked a pivotal moment in the history of U.S. farm policy. The new Farm Bill eliminated direct payments and replaced them with…
CBO Update Confirms, Adds To Farm Bill Savings
On April 14, more than two months after enactment of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the Farm Bill), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its revised estimates of the spending baseline for farm policy. During the long debate on the Farm Bill, proponents touted savings that the Farm Bill was expected to produce —…
Farm Bill Reduces Spending… Again
After four years of work and tireless efforts by the Agriculture Committees of both chambers, a new Farm Bill finally passed the House this week and is scheduled to be voted on by the Senate next week. If past is prologue, this immense package of policy—affecting not just the farms that nourish our nation but…
Agriculture Community Supports Farm Bill Conference Report, Urges Passage
WASHINGTON—The agriculture community applauded the filing of the Farm Bill conference report on Monday, and is urging quick passage of the legislation to provide stability and support for our nation’s farmers and ranchers. Here are excerpts from statements released by key groups: The American Farm Bureau Federation: “We appreciate the hard work…
Farm Policy: FY13 in Review
As the worst drought in three decades unfolded last year, opponents of farm programs almost gleefully predicted that taxpayers would be on the hook for $40 billion in crop insurance claims this past fiscal year. Those “experts” grossly overestimated crop insurance costs by about $26 billion. And while crop insurance indemnities in fiscal year 2013…