tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603499.post1132233546455277038..comments2023-11-30T03:44:34.585-05:00Comments on Opinions Nobody Asked For: Rain On The ScarecrowJeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11683622475941901572noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603499.post-92204981473615563122007-07-31T17:03:00.000-04:002007-07-31T17:03:00.000-04:00What about a subsidy that only goes to individuals...What about a subsidy that only goes to individuals who farm on an acreage below a set limit, (so as to not subsidize the factory fams) who don't sell through one of the big co-op types?<BR/><BR/>Also, I don't think farming is easily compared to any other business, since there are significant forces at play outside of supply/demand/efficiency. If you start a non-farming business and it loses money that's either because your a bad business man or there's not really a demand for your product. The same can't be said of farmers. There's an essentially unlimited demand for food, and even the best run farms can be subject to drought/flooding/pests, etc. Complete non-business/non-market factors that determine whether or not they can even keep themselves afloat.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and there's the whole "Americana" thing too. I've been around family farms for much of my life, and there's really something to that argument. It's hard to qualify, but family farms are important to our identity.Matthew B. Novakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00441950586412209361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603499.post-90228154828762418782007-07-30T11:40:00.000-04:002007-07-30T11:40:00.000-04:00Just to clarify the price support part of the last...Just to clarify the price support part of the last comment a bit: farmers can currently claim price support if the cost of their produce dips below a certain level, even if they wait until later, when the price has recovered, to actually sell.<BR/><BR/>For example: a farmer grows wheat. Say the price guarantee is $0.10/bushel. If the price dropped to $0.08/bushel in October, the farmer could still claim $0.02/bushel from the government even if the grain gets sold in December at $0.14/bushel. The only thing worse than subsidizing a failing business is subsidizing a profitable one.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11683622475941901572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603499.post-78202439407203658282007-07-30T11:35:00.000-04:002007-07-30T11:35:00.000-04:00Small family farmers rarely see those subsidies - ...Small family farmers rarely see those subsidies - instead, the lion's share go to ConAgra and Archer Daniels Midland and that ilk. The family farmer is probably hurt more than helped by the subsidy program as a whole, since it causes overproduction and price crashes.<BR/><BR/>I would probably support a government-supported price guarantee that kicked in whenever the produce was sold (not at the year's lowest price as it is currently). The family farmer is a little bit more vulnerable than the corporate farmer, who can withstand a couple of bad years without any worries.<BR/><BR/>But in a greater sense, why should my tax dollars go to keeping someone in a business if it's losing money? More to the point, if I start a (non-farming) business and it loses money, can the government pay me to keep running it? If we're going to pay people to keep operating unprofitable farms, then it seems only fair.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11683622475941901572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603499.post-35275521681080822052007-07-30T11:03:00.000-04:002007-07-30T11:03:00.000-04:00Just to stoke the fire here a little...But what ab...Just to stoke the fire here a little...<BR/><BR/>But what about the small family farmer who needs those subsidies?Matthew B. Novakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00441950586412209361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603499.post-17503377198381215662007-07-28T22:08:00.000-04:002007-07-28T22:08:00.000-04:00Lin - ConAgra stopped giving absurd amounts when M...Lin - ConAgra stopped giving absurd amounts when McCain-Feingold went through - they used to give scads of soft money, but obviously can't do that anymore. They give mostly to the big muckety-mucks like Hastert and Peterson now. Check www.opensecrets.org for a lot of interesting financial info...Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11683622475941901572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603499.post-6790183135811694662007-07-28T16:43:00.000-04:002007-07-28T16:43:00.000-04:00Couldn't have stated it better. Just a question......Couldn't have stated it better. <BR/><BR/>Just a question...does anyone know how much ConAgra spends on political donations?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603499.post-43385285991585890612007-07-28T11:17:00.000-04:002007-07-28T11:17:00.000-04:00Mmmm, sugar burgers...And yeah, Cato's going to be...Mmmm, sugar burgers...<BR/><BR/>And yeah, Cato's going to be all over this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603499.post-62999216939222499242007-07-28T05:08:00.000-04:002007-07-28T05:08:00.000-04:00We should just increase the sugar content in Ameri...We should just increase the sugar content in American foods. Problem solved.<BR/><BR/>Jeez, Jeff. Learn to think outside the box.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01305392362522857016noreply@blogger.com