Comments on: Farm Bill Reform? Yes, Please.

By: esoggelay

esoggelay — Fri, 30 May 2008 02:38:27 +0000

By: LeannF

LeannF — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:37:18 +0000

one more thing an example…a farmer can write off $6000, in wages that he says he pays to a spouse if he makes $100,000. A SPOUSE, WHO PROFITS TOO!!!!! And its all legal. Its called “the domestic deduction”, how would I like to get a deduction like that for doing housework!!!

By: LeannF

LeannF — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:32:24 +0000

check your local paper or the internet for state rep. addresses, and write to them and ask where our help is? Please look more into this, you wouldn’t believe it! After all the majority should rule… and thats the poor to middle income, and I don’t consider a farmer middle income.

By: LeannF

LeannF — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:25:22 +0000

I’m from Kansas, with farmers all around me. I don’t feel a bit sorry for these so called poor farmers because I have never seen one. Back in the “old” days when my fathers, grandfather was a farmer…thats when there were acuall poor farmers. I’m sick to death of tax payers like myself and my husband paying extra money in taxes so that these farmers can live in brand new homes, and drive brand new vehicles(including their kids). They write off so much nonsense on their taxes its not fuuny. The government helps them all the time, BUT when my husband and I are off from our jobs (seasonal) I don’t see us getting any tax breaks or help from OUR own tax dollars, DO YOU? As a matter of fact, as far as I’m concerned, they don’t even put in the hours that a regular working stiff does. They go into the local coffee shop in the morning and sit on their fat butts IN THE WAY, while I or my husband or the other working stiffs try to get around them to get coffee, so that we may go and put in 13 hours at a job and come home and work. All the while they go home and after feeding the cows go sat on their butts again. Which alot of times, they have farm hands that do that, and they write that off to. And as far as crop farmers its about the same…they plant the crops in their NEW combines( they write off), they spray them(with a automatic sprayer that does the wrok) and they get the crops out and sold in the fall (with help, another write off). I know lots of them BIG farms and SMALL, and let me tell you the government needs to wake up, these people are making really good livings. As a matter of fact I don’t know one that hasn’t got a NEW home and cars and money to boot. BUT I know lots of working, used to be middle class stiffs that don’t have anything new. Iam tired and have seriously looked into moving to a new country because of our government. I love America, but things are getting worse, and I have to give MY children a future too, how about you? And one more thing that bits my butt is these bumper stickers that say “Farmers feed the world”, OH HELL NO…I can grow a garden, and can food including fruit and meat (AND DO), and even raise a animal to feed my family, but a farmer can’t build a combine that they need, like the factory worker can…SO WHO FEEDS WHO

By: MadelineF

MadelineF — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:48:34 +0000

Joh W-Actually, these commodity payments have a devastating effect on farmers in the developing world who depend upon a fair price for their crops. THEY don’t benefit from suppressed prices brought on by subsidy incentives. Instead they are denied the chance to compete in a fair market, as surplus dumping of these OVER-subsidized crops drives down the value of THEIR crops. Add to that the fact that the majority of these subsidies go to wealthy farmers and agribusiness, not the small family farms that it was originally intended to help.

By: Zero Hebner

Zero Hebner — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:21:25 +0000

This is what we need to do as Americans and as a world as ONE, we need to help everyone as one, and stand together, as a whole, not just for ourselves.

By: John W

John W — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:14:46 +0000

I am not very politically intelligent, but to hear that subsidies drive down world food costs is to my mind a good thing. Don’t we want cheaper food to go to more people? I thought this ONE program was to reduce poverty and starvation. Perhaps because I am distant from the farming concepts I may sound cold hearted, but farmers won’t starve, the people who can’t afford the increased costs due to lack of subsidies will. To assume everyone has a local farmers market is ill conceived as well as forcing people to diet by increasing costs. If there are issues with food quality and hormones, change legislation there?

By: kathleen Damiani

kathleen Damiani — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 05:15:23 +0000

I hope some of you out there know of somthing called non tariff barriers…a slick way to inhibit foodstuffs ( and other imports as well) getting past our system.

Also do your part and do not serve a 3000 mile salid and watch the carbon $$$$ on the imported bottled waters.. you might as well be washing your 3000 mile greens with this wasteful h20

By: David Waite

David Waite — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:17:25 +0000

So what’s the staus on the FRESH and the Grassley-Dorgan Payment Limits Amendments? I thought they were going to vote on the 14th.

By: Rey

Rey — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 17:13:36 +0000

If you want to learn more about the farm bill and the effect it has on our food supply (why junk food is so cheap and fruits and vegetables are so expensive), read this article by Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/magazine/22wwlnlede.t.html?_r=6&adxnnl=0&oref=login&ref=magazine&adxnnlx=1177352632-APzwkCypnE3t7RELZTBSYw&&oref=login