All farm subsidies should be eliminated

[Jacobtm]

America eats too much. Farm subsidies keep food cheap, encouraging consumption. All farm subsidies should be ended, unequivocally. The money should be redirected to the food stamps program for the poorest Americans.

[Franzl]

Agreed.

And one more factor: America AND Europe eliminating farm subsidies would probably be the single most important contribution that could be made to helping the Third World.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

There's a good case to be made for keeping subsidies for small farms (especially in upland areas) although the way it's done generally needs improving. The rest though...

[John Dibble]

I agree with getting rid of the subsidies, but we also need to get rid of the tariffs on imported foods, especially sugar. That will take high fructose corn syrup out of a lot of foods and have it replaced with regular sugar.

[courts]

It isn't that the food is too cheap so much as what we subsidize is often of incredible poor nutritional value ('cheese product,' HFCs, etc.) or actually worse for the environment (corn ethanol). But then I  don't think the federal government should be subsidizing anything.

[Link]

I agree with getting rid of the subsidies, but we also need to get rid of the tariffs on imported foods, especially sugar. That will take high fructose corn syrup out of a lot of foods and have it replaced with regular sugar.

Oh, boy.  Don't tell me you are one of those people.

Here are the FACTS...

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The sugar tariff should be eliminated but not because of the reason you think.

[memphis]

If you eliminate farm subsidies, we're going to grow less grain and import more. It's bad enough being dependent on foreign nations for fuel. I'd rather not be dependent on them for food too.

[Torie]

Only after I sell the family farm.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Only large farms should lose subsidies, like the factory farms, run by the Bachmanns............

[opebo]

Oh, boy.  Don't tell me you are one of those people.

Here are the FACTS...

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so why does soda taste so terrible in the US and so good here?

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

So why does Mexican Coke taste better?

[King]

Farm subsidies are useful for smalls crops in areas that are highly susceptible to famine conditions (drought, disease) to avoid farmers of these plants to go bankrupt after one season.

However, most farm subsidies today are used to prop up corrupt corn, soy, and wheat industry.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Only for very large farms.  Though I wouldn't mind if we just kept conservation payments and guaranteed loans for natural disaster.. plus no taxes on farm income up to a decent amount... and got rid of the rest.

[Free Palestine]

Agreed.

And one more factor: America AND Europe eliminating farm subsidies would probably be the single most important contribution that could be made to helping the Third World.

[Ban my account ffs!]

I agree with getting rid of the subsidies, but we also need to get rid of the tariffs on imported foods, especially sugar. That will take high fructose corn syrup out of a lot of foods and have it replaced with regular sugar.

Oh, boy.  Don't tell me you are one of those people.

Here are the FACTS...

You must be logged in to read this quote.

The sugar tariff should be eliminated but not because of the reason you think.

Just because they are chemically similar (note, not the same), doesn't mean it doesn't make a noticeable difference.

I can guarantee that a hamburger and a glass of water tastes a lot better than mixing the hamburger with the glass of water and blending it up in a blender.. even if chemically they are identical.

But that's apples and oranges. 

Even so, I'd suspect the reason pop tastes like crap in the U.S. is partially because of the use of HFCS and also formulation differences.  Americans' taste buds are more or less fried from all the salty/sugary crap we eat/drink... so companies have to formulate things differently so we can actually taste it.

[dead0man]

ALL subsidies should be eliminated.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I have sympathies up to a point... I think subsidies to large farms should be scrapped, those to small farms should be contingent on certain factors.

I generally have issues with tax-payer support for unsustainable business practices...

[republicanism]

Only give subsidies for the first xxx acres every farm owns / leases, so that family farms can survive but large food corporations don't really benefit.
I don't know how the situation is in the US, but in the EU most subsidies go to large corporations which have nothing to do with "farming" in any traditional sense. Those do not need and do not deserve any government support.

[Jacobtm]

If you believe in subsidies for small farms, do you believe in subsidies for every small business so that it can compete against larger ones?

I see no more reason for giving free money to small farms than for giving it to small bakeries, small ice-cream shops, small restaurants etc.

[republicanism]

If you believe in subsidies for small farms, do you believe in subsidies for every small business so that it can compete against larger ones?

No, but I believe that small-scale farming has a special role in economy and culture, as it conserves cultivated landscape and works against rural exodus as it keeps lots of jobs in agricultural areas.

[dead0man]

Why is that a good thing?  Agricultural jobs are hard, dangerous and don't pay very well.  The family farm is dying and I've yet to hear somebody come up with some good examples as to why that's a bad thing.

[Verily]

I agree with getting rid of the subsidies, but we also need to get rid of the tariffs on imported foods, especially sugar. That will take high fructose corn syrup out of a lot of foods and have it replaced with regular sugar.

I would consider the sugar tariff to be an agricultural subsidy as much as money directly sent to "corn research" or whatever. And, yes, it should also be eliminated.

[Jacobtm]

Why is that a good thing?  Agricultural jobs are hard, dangerous and don't pay very well.  The family farm is dying and I've yet to hear somebody come up with some good examples as to why that's a bad thing.

Patenting of common crop varieties in order to charge small farmers the world over a premium for using the same seeds they've always used.

Genetically modifying crops to NOT produce fertile seeds, so that small farmers have to buy seeds from AGROGIANTX every year.

Industrial use of fertilizers destroying up local ecosystems

Homogenization of crop varieties taking away the diversity of food that many people don't even realize they'd enjoy because they've never seen the variety out there.

Bland flavorless food.

I bet Americans would eat alot more Tomatoes if they didn't all taste like crap. How hard is it to find a GOOD tomato? Or GOOD batch of strawberries? They just pump those guys with fertilizer until they're big and red and ship them out, but it's definitely not the same as local produce that's grown naturally, has a natural flavor and isn't shipped halfway across the country.

[Torie]

Why is that a good thing?  Agricultural jobs are hard, dangerous and don't pay very well.  The family farm is dying and I've yet to hear somebody come up with some good examples as to why that's a bad thing.

Been to Iowa lately?  And it's not that hard to sit on a tractor. 

[memphis]

ALL subsidies should be eliminated.

So you're ready to give up the child tax credit?