Posts Tagged ‘Farm Bill’
Do nothing congressman: Cory Gardner
If you were watching the Rocky Mountain PBS "Colorado State of Mind" Forum on Friday evening, then you also heard Congressman Cory Gardner state, "Nobody understands agriculture better than I do." As a farmer in Weld County, it's not just the arrogance of that statement that offends me - it's saying that and then letting the Farm Bill expire that really bothers me. When I traveled to Washington DC earlier this month to talk to members of Congress about passing this ... Full Story
Bookend Generations in Rural America
By John Crabtree johnc@cfra.org, Center for Rural Affairs Many rural American communities find themselves caught between bookend generations - under 20 and over 65 - that require more resources in areas such as health care and education. This long-term demographic trend challenges all of rural America, especially the Midwest and Great Plains. According to a Center for Rural Affairs report examining data from the 2010 Census, the ... Full Story
Farm Bill Proposal deserved a Quick Death
By John Crabtree, johnc@cfra.org, Center for Rural Affairs Over the last month, the leadership of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees pressed to finish a farm bill proposal that would cut 23 billion dollars over the next decade out of the USDA budget, through the Congressional Super Committee deficit reduction process, which must conclude by November 23rd. Fortunately, the Ag Committee proposal was never forthcoming. Rural America can breathe a ... Full Story
Limit Direct Payments in 2012 Farm Bill
By Brian Depew briand@cfra.org Center for Rural Affairs With Congress hammering out budget cutting legislation and preparing to take up the 2012 farm bill, the next two years emerge as a crucial time for making commonsense cuts to agriculture spending. For federal farm programs, that means placing hard caps on payments made to the nation’s largest farms, subsidies those operations use to drive their smaller neighbors out of business. First, Congress should place a hard limit of $40,000 ... Full Story
