Posted by paul on November 08, 2012 at 08:25:29 from (66.44.133.112):
In Reply to: Re: Farm subsidies posted by jackinok on November 08, 2012 at 07:59:39:
Back a few dacades ago, coming out of the 60s into the 70s and part of the 80s, the govt had a really odd farm program.
We farmers were growing more gain than needed. The govt came up with the idea of buying and storing the surplus - it would be good to store it for a bad year, and keep food supplies plentiful all the time.
Happened to have some good years, and farmers grew a lot of extra grain, and the govt kept buying it, and soon there was a _lot_ of extra grain sitting around.
Buyers knew the grain was sitting there, so they didn't have to pay much for grain - plenty sitting around. So gain prices sunk very, very low.
This was a bad cycle, as prices got lower, the govt ended up buying and storing more, which made prices lower, and so on.
They tried to find a way out of this poor program, and eventually had a set-aside program for a few years. They did pay farmers to not harvest crops from a certain percentage of their land. It was the govt's attempt to control supplies of grain sitting around. Hou had to plant an exact amount of acres of each crop, and a small % was left in cover crops, not harvested.
No one was very happy with the govt programs back then, not well thought out at all.
The drought of 1988 came along and finally used up the extra grain the govt had sitting around, and the govt changed the policies to much better ones, supporting wildlife management and putting price supports on crops with the LDP, Counter-Cyclical, and now insurance programs.
Most people wildly complaining about govt paying farmers not to plant crops are stuck in the 1970's, and don't realize things have changed since then.
What we have now is a lot better. Could certainly be better than it is, but is a lot better than it used to be. Would be great if there was no need for these programs, but most of it only kicks in when grain prices dive into the toilet - much like food stamps, minimum wage, and unemployment programs kick in harder in bad times for working folk.
But to your point - there was a time back many decades ago the govt did pay farmers not to harvest a small % of their land.
That is where most people get their mis-informed ideas that this is still happening.
You know why farmer's caps have such a rounded bill???? Because they spend so much time looking in their mailboxes for the govt check. ;)
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - When Push Comes to Shove - by Dave Patterson. When I was a “kid” (still am to a deree) about two I guess, my parents couldn’t find me one day. They were horrified (we lived by the railroad), my mother thought the worst: "He’s been run over by a train, he’s gone forever!" Where did they find me? Perched up on the seat of the tractor. I’d probably plowed about 3000 acres (in my head anyway) by the time they found me. This is where my love for tractors started and has only gotten worse in my tender 50 yrs on this “green planet”. I’m par
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
