Midlands Democrats, GOP unite to send farm bill forward (corrected)

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

By Joseph Morton

WASHINGTON — It's not often that the ideologically diverse group of Nebraska and Iowa U.S. senators back the same policy approach.

But in an illustration of the old adage that farm politics are more regional than partisan, the four joined together Thursday to help the Senate Agriculture Committee send a farm bill forward.

Committee approval came despite opposition from southern Republicans who say the bill would leave their rice and peanut growers without an adequate safety net, and one Democrat from New York with concerns about cuts to nutrition assistance, more commonly referred to as food stamps.

At the heart of the bill are changes to federal crop subsidy programs. The bill would end direct payments, subsidies that go to farmers based on historical production without regard to current prices or yields.

FULL story at link.



Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20120426/NEWS01/704279945#midlands-democrats-gop-unite-to-send-farm-bill-forward

[pipoman]

1. No farm bill/subsidies = dramatic fluctuations in prices and availability of farm products

[Thor_MN]

2. What is really needed is to make any subsidies progressive.

The huge corporate farms don't need help, the small family farms do. Phase out the subsidy based on the size of the operation. Same thing for tax benefits to business, they keep whining that small business blah, blah, blah, but then major corporations get 90% of the benefit. If you want a way to reduce spending, cut tax reductions to major corporations, they cost us trillions over a 10 year period.