"Secret Farm Bill"

[red maples]

Hi all, I am curious what people think of this new secret farm bill. not sure what I think I read a few periodicals about. Some of it makes sense and some of it doesn't. It seems they wanna promote more growing on US soil I am all for that, but they say it will throw off the 3rd world farmers because they will loose money and force them to grow more product to keep up and throwing off the world market trade prices do to over production. I do have a problem with the some of the cuts theyare are talking about, but one part of the current farm bill is that even some farmers that are subsidized by these programs even if they produce nothing will still get paid based on the history of their crops...that doesn't seem to make any sense to me. getting paid for no crop sales??? I do believe that farmers should get more money for their products as they get hurt by corporate greed which we all know that feeling !!! and with so much money going to support the big food processing companies then taking away money from the farms???? hmmmm I don't think it should be cut but redistributed.

This is not ment to be a politcal thread its just a discussion about the Secret farm bill that may or may not affect us as maple producers but some of you do participate in other commodities as well...so lets try to keep it clean!!! :)

[jasonl6]

I think government should stay out of farming. Let the market dictate what needs to be grown and how much. Paying "joe" to raise corn on pa and "jack" in ny to not raise corn makes no sense. Typical with every government program.

Jason

[red maples]

I agree but... things that were put in place along time ago with good intentions and were manipulated into a away for people to make money. If I remember correctly the farm bill was put into place to help protect farmers more of an insurance than anything. farmers that suffered loss of crops due to insect infestations, weather, flooding etc. you loose crops you loose money your out of the farmin biz!!! Problem is like I said somewhere along the line things got corrupted because of greed and people "find" loopholes because they are put there on purpose for people to take advantage of the system. SO who looses in the end the farmers!!! Amother Problem is Gov. needs to be some part" trying hard to not make this politica" involved. thats where our grants come from, some of our Ag loans, testing of chemicals etc in food. some regulation needs to be put inplace to make food safe...I say that with a grain of salt because of the GMOs and over use well any use at all of the chemicals allowed by the fda. The bottom line is there is someone that will make money off of everything and people shouldn't be able to capitalize off stuff like this.

[red maples]

http://www.nourishlife.org/2011/11/video-michael-pollan-the-farm-bill/

a little clip on the farm bill.

[SouthernSap]

I agree with Jason. This is not one of the things government needs to do for us. My opinion.

[markcasper]

Practically everything, every subsidy the government doles out to farmers is meant to consolidate and get rid of the smaller producer. Every law or regulation is also meant to do the same, though it often does not appear that way on the outside. The agriculture today has been turned into industrial for big agra. Corn is basically an economic stimulus crop. It costs alot to grow it, requires alot of $$$ to others in order to grow it, and somehow the government spends $$$$ to encourage growing it. It is the pig of all crops! Causes the most soil erosion, while giving nothing back (i.e. nitrogen) all it is sugar, theres basically no nutritive value to it. Farmers that raise alfalfa and vegetables often recieve nothing in terms of government support. In other words. the government just needs to stay away!

[red maples]

I have been educating myself the last few weeks on all of this. I reciently (or should I say finally) watched a few food documentaries food inc, King corn, and a few others, not that I live under a rock, I knew it was bad just not this bad. Capitalism, basically socialism at its best with so many people related in the indutries that are in one form or another involved in the government. its really scarey of where things are going. In food inc they were talking about e. coli in beef and how it gets corn instead of grass and if beef was raised with grass instead of corn then it get rid of at least 80% of the ecoli in there digestive system. But instead of doing Things the right way. they now use ammonia fillers in fast food beef to kill off the E. coli. now is that scary or what. Corn yes its not even edible and it is so cheap that it cost more to grow it than it does to sell it. I have made a pledge to change my food buying habits. and make more of our house budget to more holsome food, which I have been slowly doing anyway, but these eye openers were a huge wake up call. The bad thing is I am privilaged enough to have the money to work it into our budget. What helps is the food I grow and raise and the food I get from my sister (pork and Beef) 100% pastured grass feed beef. and my own chicken. The less fortunate people that its cheaper to eat Mc D's then to buy holsome good food at the grocery store. very sad. These farmers just can't do aford to farm the way they do and the big bad cooperative food companies tyson, perdue, swift etc. control everything keep them in debt so that have to stay where they are and are just stuck between debt and a hardplace. Anyway I am now totally against any farm bill and yes just a matter a few documenaries and a few periodicals of "real Facts" Not just advertising and propaganda and studies with paid for results by the big companies in the favor of the big companies. Sorry just really upset about how far things have come!!!

[markcasper]

Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-corn and it is an important crop. It has gotten way out of hand in my area though. My family grows corn for our cattle, but it is only a small part of the total ration. The notion of feeding shell corn and pellets to steers and nothing else makes me cringe.

I have not followed the farm bill thing really, is there a link for some good info.? All I know is it is suppossedly being decided by the super congress and that in itself is illegal under the Constitution. But look at all of the illigal things Washington is getting away with.

[red maples]

I belive corn is a good crop too although it has been engineered so far out that it is grown for extemely specific needs. and yes I don't have a problem with cattle eating corn but not complete diet like you said. they were not put hear to eat corn as a complete diet. finishing with corn and eating corn as a complete diet 2 completely different things!!!

there isn't much on the new farm bill its being discussed in the secret congress. the people in these metings are apperently big company lobbiests looking to over stock commodities crops even more and base pay of farmers more on the market prices that will surely put them out of business because it already costs more to grow than it does to sell because of the over production!!! right now the current farm bill will subsidise 1/2 in the beginning and 1/2 at the end of the season based on crop estimates. they wanna do away with the beginning payment. over producing even more than we do basically in order to put smaller countries farms out of business to force them to buy our GMO cheap made corn, to produce more corn, to make it cheaper to put more contries farms out of business sell more cheapo corn and so on and so on. very scary viscious capitalists cycle.

[Homestead Maple]

I agree with Jason also. Once the government gets involved it will be just more and more government regulation until no one can understand all the regulations. Less government, is better government.