Farm Program Reform

April 2009 Newsletter

Center for Rural Affairs staff met in March with Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack to discuss a potential fix to USDA regulations on farm payment eligibility adopted in December by the outgoing administration to help family farm corporations.

Those regulations allow mega farms that add paper partners to keep getting many times the legal payment limit, but they cut payments to family farm corporations that have never received anywhere close to the limit – just because non-farm family members own stock. We recommended that USDA immediately scrap that part of the regulation and come back with real reform next year.

Comments

Fairness to the little farmer is way overdue

Tue, 04/07/2009 - 14:37 — Rev.Antoinette Pezet (not verified)

I hail on my mothers side of the family from a long line of Vermont farmers. I have been aware that since the 1900s this nation has turned its back on small farmers and businesses in facor of large and purely profit seeking mega farmers and fusinesses who don't really give a damm for anyone as long as they can rake in huge profits. Well the line has to stop here. We need to re evaluate our sugsidy policies to that those of us who raise and use healthier produce and farm products won't be the victims of the unscrupulous such as Monsanto and company.