2016: A Year in Review with Farm Policy Facts
With a new year on the horizon, Farm Policy Facts is taking a look back at some of the top stories of 2016.
Fact Check: Corporate Farms Vs. Family Farms
Farm policy opponents love to rail against “corporate farms.” These operations, they say, have run family farmers out of rural America. But is it true? Not according to a recent report by the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).
It is true that modern-day farms in America are no longer one-or-two acre plots plowed by oxen and planted by hand — the inefficient, gothic scenes of yesteryear.
Our View: “Fake News” is Nothing New for Farmers
Farmers and ranchers have been dealing with “fake farm news” for years – not only from the mainstream media, but also from special interest groups.
Combest: Why Trump needs a strong Agriculture secretary
“A lot of what Washington does is harmful to American agriculture. And, what good it does costs very little” writes former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest.
Rep. Cramer: How Critics of U.S. Farm Policy Have It Wrong
What if we could truly open up foreign markets and create a level playing field for our farmers and ranchers that actually passes the smell test?
#FarmerPortraits
Farm Policy Facts is beginning a new series this month on its digital platforms called #FarmerPortraits.
Our View: Hold the Thin Green Line
As the Secretary of Agriculture, during World War II, said time and time again: “Food will win the war and write the peace.” Or, translated for modern-day: “Hold the thin green line.”
Losing Our Farm Families is a Scary Scenario
Halloween is big business these days. But how much of the record-setting revenue will be flowing to the sugar farmers that made the sweet treats possible?
American Agriculture Remains Important Even if Not Discussed During Presidential Debates
There are no food lines. The grocery stores are all stocked. It is our investment in farm policy that enables this phenomenon and highlights how necessary farm policy is to our country.
Our View: EWG Stoops to New Low, Resorts to Pure Fiction in Latest Attack
With crop insurance’s popularity rising in rural America and on Capitol Hill, and with the policy’s budget outlays falling, we’re guessing one of its harshest critics, the Environmental Working Group (EWG), is running out of believable critiques. So now it’s resorted to pure fiction.
Chinese Subsidies Soar, Sales of Their Stockpiles Loom
On September 13, U.S. trade officials announced that the United States was targeting China in an international trade case over the legality of its rice, corn, and wheat subsidies. The U.S. agricultural community cheered, as U.S. negotiators showed a desire to start rooting out the trade-distorting policies that are so manipulating world commodity markets.
Standing Up for America’s Farm & Ranch Families
Our nation’s farm families provide us with the safest, most abundant, most affordable food and fiber supply in the history of the world. A fact that is so true it has become a cliché.
ICYMI: Nurturing the next generation of farmers
When it comes to farming, it seems the critics always have the easy answer. They portray this line of work as if every day brings blue skies and no worries. The reality is the farming business comes with a fair share of challenges; chief among them is the unpredictability of weather and markets. Anything can and will happen.
The U.S. Files WTO Complaint Against China on Behalf of American Farmers
Thank goodness we have lawmakers and officials in Washington who understand that free markets can’t exist in a world of bad actors. Thank goodness these lawmakers understand that we must not only stand up to these countries, but we must also maintain strong farm policy, in part, as a pragmatic and realistic response to those who refuse to play by the rules.
Todd Van Hoose: A Competitive & Innovative Farm Sector Requires a Sustained Investment
“Agricultural production in this country is the envy of the world. One of the reasons it has been successful is because of the investments we have made in farm policy and crop insurance through the years.”
Our View: Heritage Recycles Old Proposal to Nix Risk Management Tools for Farmers
The Heritage Foundation has long opposed U.S. farmers and ranchers having any kind of meaningful safety net to protect against weather disasters, volatile markets, and predatory trade practices abroad. So, the fact that they published a report suggesting the elimination of farm policy is not new or noteworthy.
Our View: Where Would We Be Without Our Farmers?
Where would we be without our farmers? It’s a question we never want to have to answer.
Brandon Willis: Expanding Coverage for All Producers
As farming and farm products change to meet market needs, crop insurance will continue to adapt and expand to meet the needs of our producers.
Farm Policy (Finally) Gets a Fair Shake from a Major Media Outlet
“We find people who are vital in this country, doing something great, doing something that this country depends upon, who don’t have a voice for political reasons, or political forces organized against them and we go in there and make sure they have a platform for millions of people to hear their voices.”
New Videos Illustrate Support for Farmers & the ‘Dire Consequences’ for Gutting Farm Policy
A pair of videos, released this week from agricultural groups, seeks to educate Americans on the bipartisan support for America’s farmers.
Foreign Subsidy Schemes Sour Markets
India’s massive sugar handouts have kept inefficient producers in business, promoted overproduction, and helped depress global prices, according to a new study.
Our View: A Big Fat Farce Returns
Crop prices are low, which means it’s high time for farm policy critics to trot out one of the most absurd criticisms of farm policy ever used.
New Study Reveals a Shocking Lack of Knowledge about Farm Policy at Farmers’ Expense
A major medical journal with a private vetting process published a study from authors with a clear agenda to attack one part of farm policy by using old data and one title of an even older farm bill to make a dubious association between farm policy and obesity.
Our View: Remembering our Ag Roots on Independence Day
Agriculture continues to be a source of national wealth, an integral part of national security, the foundation of civilized society, and the pride of American families.
ICYMI: Farm Policy, Crop Insurance Wise Investments for All Americans
What I have learned during this time is this: farming is an enormous game of risk management. It’s not if something bad is going to happen, it’s when.
Voluntary, Incentive-Based Conservation is the First Line of Defense Against Burdensome Regulation
Farm Policy Facts is pleased to publish a guest editorial on why the farm bill is critical for growing our food and fiber supply while also protecting our natural resources.
Farming needs strong policy and crop insurance
As farmers, we have no control over weather. We have no control over markets. We have no control over our foreign competitors. We cannot just turn our operations on or off. We have to take care of the land 365 days a year. We need a safety net when commodity prices fall. We need affordable and reliable crop insurance to protect our yearly investments.
ICYMI: In Defense of the Farm Bureau
Earlier this month, Heritage Action CEO, Michael Needham, wrote an op-ed playing their old song that trashes farmers and farm policy that was published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. This time, in an incredible act of duplicity, Needham tried to portray the Arkansas Farm Bureau, a grassroots organization if there ever was one, of being part of “the establishment” in Washington, D.C. Friend of Farm Policy Facts and Former Congressman Larry Combest wrote a response in kind to set the record straight as to who is the real Washington insider.
Our View: With a Depressed Farm Economy, America’s Agricultural Producers Should Be Able to Count on the Farm Safety Net
Farmers like to call themselves the eternal optimists, but these real world conditions that Chairman Conaway and others have described have provided plenty of reasons to keep them up at night. The ability to count on farm policy to get them through a tough year or more shouldn’t be one of them.
New Public Opinion Polls Shows Strong Support for Farmers and Farm Policy
In an election year that has seen sharp divides among candidates and voters on the major issues of the day, there is one policy area that is receiving widespread, bipartisan support: farm policy and crop insurance.
Rep. Costa: Crop Insurance is Vital Component to U.S. Agriculture Industry
Farm Policy Facts is pleased to publish a guest editorial from Rep. Jim Costa on the importance of maintaining a strong safety net for farmers.
EWG Still Using Old Data & Misleading Tactics to Generate Anti-Farmer Headlines
Last week, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) sent out a report with this headline: “The Rich Get Richer: 50 Billionaires Got Federal Farm Subsidies.” The piece was meant to draw attention to the “problem” of well-known billionaires and celebrities pocketing farm subsidies. The only problem is, there isn’t a problem.
For Agriculture, Every Day is Earth Day
On this Earth Day, we are pleased to publish an editorial from the chairmen of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees celebrating the efforts of America’s farmers and ranchers in protecting our natural resources.
New Study Shows the Sweet Truth in Classic Farm Policy Debate
Circulating half-truths and misinformation is how agriculture’s opponents have operated for decades, and they’re not about to let pesky things like facts and expert analysis get in the way.
Krysta Harden: Diversifying Agriculture’s Workforce
Farm Policy Facts is proud to publish a guest editorial from Krysta Harden, the former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
A Wide Array of Voices Rally in Defense of the Farm Bill
It is not every day that there is widespread agreement in our nation’s Capitol, especially when it comes to budget matters. So, it is significant to highlight when such accord is demonstrably on display.
ICYMI: Crop Insurance is Critical for Beginning Farmers
“As Congress and the White House wrestle with their respective budgets in the coming weeks, I hope good sense will prevail and they’ll leave crop insurance and farm policy alone.”
Rep. Lucas: A Tradition of Service and Leadership
Congressman Frank Lucas discusses how Future Farmers of America is growing the next generation of leaders, and how his membership in the local chapter as a young person helped shape and inspire a life of public service.
New Survey Demonstrates Crop Insurance Support Strong Among Farmers
A new survey demonstrates a strong level of support for crop insurance among farmers growing a diverse set of crops across the country, and opposition to any legislative proposals that weaken this important risk management tool.
Shining A Light on Women in Agriculture One Photo at a Time
“Where are the women?” was not an existential question Marji Guyler-Alaniz asked herself one day after leaving her corporate job of 11 years. Rather it was a realization that the imagery – and perhaps even the perception – of the American farmer needed an update.