aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South
Saturday, July 14, 2007
The Democrat divide over the farm bill
A coalition of Democratic-leaning environmental organizations, anti-poverty groups and church organizations are pushing to redirect some subsidies to conservation, wetlands preservation, rural development and nutrition. But top Democrats are reluctant to push too hard for changes that could put at risk Democratic freshmen from “red” states, which backed President Bush’s reelection in 2004 and where the farm vote is still a factor in close elections.
At stake in the new farm bill are billions of dollars affecting the fortunes of farmers, as well as groups that include soft-drink manufacturers using corn sweeteners and poor families relying on food stamps. In 2006, more than 475 organizations reported lobbying on agricultural issues, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. [...]
The debate over subsidies is coming in the midst of nearly unprecedented prosperity in U.S. farming. Farm income and the value of farmland and farm assets have been rising, spurred by strong exports and a boom in the demand for corn, which is used to make ethanol.
This week, the Agriculture Department predicted that the value of harvested corn will reach $40 billion this year, up from $22 billion in 2005. The prices of wheat, milk and livestock are at or near record levels.
RELATED: Farm Bill Girl Argues that farm subsidies are a symptom of a worse disease: agri-business’s hijacking of the government. (Dump Terry McAuliffe). The Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has a good Farm Bill Action Center. (Via MyDD’s Food & Farm policy for all post.) And don’t miss Slate on ethanol madness.
