Strong Support for Farm Payment Limits among Farmers
Strong Support for Farm Program Payment Limits among Farmers
Lyons, NE – This morning, the Farm Foundation’s National Public Policy Education Committee (NPPEC), released a survey of 15,000 farmers and ranchers in 27 states regarding policy preferences for the 2007 farm bill. The survey – which can be viewed at http://www.farmfoundation.org/projects/06-02ProducerSurvey.htm – shows clear support among farmers in every region surveyed across the nation for targeting of farm programs to small and mid sized farms and for specific farm program payment limit reforms.
“This survey once again demonstrates that farmers, across the nation, are ahead of their elected representatives on this issue and the organizations that ostensibly represent them. That’s not surprising, since it is family farmers that bear the brunt of federal programs that subsidize mega farms to drive their neighbors out of business. It’s time for elected officials and agricultural organizations to catch up with the farmers they are supposed to represent,” said Chuck Hassebrook, Executive Director of the Center for Rural Affairs.
Among proposals for tightening farm commodity program payment limits, farmers’ strongest support was for eliminating the three-entity rule that allows the creation of multiple legal entities within a larger single farming operation to secure multiple farm program payments; followed closely by farmers’ support for eliminating unlimited commodity loan gains.
post a question or comment here or contact John Crabtree, johnc@cfra.org
Center for Rural Affairs
Values. Worth. Action.
Lyons, NE – This morning, the Farm Foundation’s National Public Policy Education Committee (NPPEC), released a survey of 15,000 farmers and ranchers in 27 states regarding policy preferences for the 2007 farm bill. The survey – which can be viewed at http://www.farmfoundation.org/projects/06-02ProducerSurvey.htm – shows clear support among farmers in every region surveyed across the nation for targeting of farm programs to small and mid sized farms and for specific farm program payment limit reforms.
“This survey once again demonstrates that farmers, across the nation, are ahead of their elected representatives on this issue and the organizations that ostensibly represent them. That’s not surprising, since it is family farmers that bear the brunt of federal programs that subsidize mega farms to drive their neighbors out of business. It’s time for elected officials and agricultural organizations to catch up with the farmers they are supposed to represent,” said Chuck Hassebrook, Executive Director of the Center for Rural Affairs.
Among proposals for tightening farm commodity program payment limits, farmers’ strongest support was for eliminating the three-entity rule that allows the creation of multiple legal entities within a larger single farming operation to secure multiple farm program payments; followed closely by farmers’ support for eliminating unlimited commodity loan gains.
post a question or comment here or contact John Crabtree, johnc@cfra.org
Center for Rural Affairs
Values. Worth. Action.
posted by Center for Rural Affairs @ 12:08 PM
2 Comments:
At 6:55 PM,
Anonymous said…
The results of this survey are astonishing - please, please, please do everything you can to get the word out about these results.
At 9:13 PM,
Anonymous said…
In particular, the results from Georgia and other Southern and Western states is amazing. Also, the fact that it seems that in most places farmers are more supportive of closing farm payment loopholes than they are of making the payments in the first place. A clear sign that farmers know that this farm payment system is deeply dysfunctional and in need of reform.
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