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Farm subsidies impact
Farm subsidies economic issue
Farm subsidies economic issue
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McKibben and the Bishops both believe that farm subsidies should be shift away from large farmers and used for other purposes that benefit small farms and communities. “Almost a third of all federal farm payments to the largest 2 percent of farms” and encourage the production of only certain crops (86). A lot of money is going into large farms that could be given to small farms and used more efficiently. Instead of giving the money to large farms, the money should be given to farms that are “environmentally sound” and use “sustainable farming practices” (7). The money should be used to help them through changes in weather and global markets that may have negative effects. McKibben explained that some places in England give subsidies to local
After reading McKibben and Hurst’s articles in the book Food Matters, both authors present arguments on “industrial farming”, and although Hurst provides a realistic sense on farming, McKibben’s suggestions should be what we think about.
13) Is it morally wrong to be someone like Benjamin who recognizes what is happening but does not care enough to speak up, even if others will be hurt?
Kegans, M. (2005). Mountains of Corn and a Sea of Farm Subsidies. The New York Times.
“We take care of animals, and the animals take care of us.” (Rollin 212). The preceding phrase is a policy that American farmers in the old west lived their lives by. Modern farmers live do not live their lives anywhere near to this phrase because they own factory farms, and the whole reason for having a factory farm is to fit as many animals in a small space as possible in order to maximize profit. Factory Farms, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) first appeared in the 1920s, right after Vitamins A and D, because if animals are given these vitamins in their diets, exercise and sunlight are not necessities for the animals to grow anymore (In Defense of Animals 1). The growing number of factory farms is coupled with the decreasing population of rural areas, which means that many people are beginning to factory farm because it yields a higher profit (“Agricultural Sciences” 170). In the 1950s, the average number of chickens on a given egg farm in the United States was 100, but now the average number is a shocking 10,000 chickens (“Factory Farms” 4). The reason for the increase of chickens has to do with new and cheaper technology developed just after World War II. The new technology increased the number of chickens, while it had the opposite effect on dairy and meat cows, their numbers went in the other direction. The number of cows used for milk was cut by more than half between 1950 and 2000, because farmers discovered new and more efficient methods for milking cows (Weeks 4). Many activists for animals’ rights are concerned about the methods used by factory farmers because they confine their animals into tight spaces and since there are so many of them in a small ...
Imagine that Christ meant these words literally. Imagine that accepting Christ as your personal savior required lunching with him. Of course, if Christ were coming over today for lunch, you would probably dust, vacuum, adjust the pictures on the walls, pick your best outfit, comb your hair, jot down a few questions about heaven. But what would the two of you eat? Would you serve Christ fried chicken? How would you feel about setting a plate of steaming, sizzling pork chops in front of your savior? A few hard-boiled eggs wouldn't hurt, right? Maybe a glass of milk to wash it all down?
America’s habitual complacency coexists with its lack of inquisitiveness. People used to know where their food came from because they asked. They knew the country, state, and most likely the farm as well. Currently, society is so far removed from the entire food process that their knowledge of its origin is limited to the grocery store it came from. This disconnection not only creates a lack of appreciation for the source, but a lack of interest in conditions, treatment, and final product too. People’s common “ignorance is bliss” attitude has led to animals’ torturous inhumane treatment, slaughter, and conditions. They are also pumped full of a plethora of preemptive drugs intended to sustain their lives without a physician’s attention.
... sell their product at a lower rate due to the transportation, storage, and marketing costs. Having the food sold through private markets, cuts out the middle man, and allows more money to end up back into the farms, which helps the farmer put money back into their business and other businesses. Money that goes back into local businesses then increases the local economy through a process called the multiplier effect. The multiplier effect is an economics term that is used to describe where a small investment of money is circulated back into the economy, it sets off a chain reaction that increases exponentially. For example, if a consumer gave the farmer $20 for his goods and the farmer spends three fifths of his income ($20 + (.06x$20)), $32 would be the amount of money available in the market from the initial $20 investment (Krugman, Paul R., and Robin Wells).
The young, recently married farmers living in the Great Plains during the 1930s had a terrible life. First off, being married meant having multiple people to provide for. This is more responsibility, and leads to dividing up the food between family members. Then, the country was also in an economic downturn, so the price of food and crops were low. Farmers already had debt because of new machines and land that was purchased during World War I to keep up with the demand during the war. Then the depression caused banks to fail, so farmers lost all their money that was in the bank. Everyday life was treacherous, and there were few amenities in the home, with no plumbing or electricity. Life was awful for a farmer during the Great Depression.
As a consumer, I have been searching for ways to acquire what I need in the most ethical and ecological way possible. For example, though I like to eat bananas, I am aware of the great social and environmental injustices of banana plantations. I know that by eating at many fast food chains, I am supporting cattle ranchers in South America who deforest land that has little top soil, and graze it until all nutrients in the soil have been depleted, making the land barren in a number of years. One solution to these concerns is a recent development in agricultural strategy, known as community supported agriculture, or CSAs.
Agricultural subsidies is a very complex and controversial economic topic today. It will continue to be a hot topic as government continues it. It is largely debated in the United States as well as in other countries. The reason it is so largely debated is because it literally have an effect on the entire world market. Not to mention that the farm has been booming the last 5 to 10 years. This topic also tends to draw strong opinions in our area in particular due to the large agricultural community in our region. However, even within different states there are many supporters as well as opponents to these government subsidies.
...struggling to earn any income at all and sometimes do not even get the opportunity to eat. Another issue that Raj Patel did not touch on is the lack of care consumers have for the farmers. It seems that consumers care about farmers about as much as the corporations do, which, in my opinion, is not a lot. When consumers only care about low prices and large corporations only care about making a profit, the farmers are left out to dry. Many consumers believe “food should be available at a bargain price, a belief that relies on labor exploitation and environmental exhaustion at multiple points along the commodity chain.” (Wright, 95) Corporations as well as consumers generally tend to be selfish and I think Raj Patel is afraid to mention this. If only these people cared a little bit more about each other I believe the hourglass of the food system will begin to even out.
“The Farmer’s Children” by Elizabeth Bishop tells the story of a simple farmer’s family and the untimely death of two members of the family. Whenever the farmer left to go to town his sons, Cato and Emerson, were left to take guard the barn that contained expensive equipment. However, on one fateful night when the sons had such responsibility and the weather was increasingly cold their step-mother wouldn’t give them anything to keep warm. When they arrived to the barn they were cold and eventually had to spend the night in the cold without any warmth.The next day,when their father seached for them in the barn, he sees his sons frozen to death in the barn.In “The Farmer’s Chilldren” Bishop uses techniques such as allusion, foreshadowing and symbolism to explore the idea of neglect on the parents part and how their actions lead to the death of Cato and Emerson.
This story Animal Farm by George Orwell is a novel about an animal revolution over an oppressive farmer. The irony in the story comes when the pigs turn into the very thing revolted against. They exhibit the same cruelty by treating the other animals the same or even worse than previous owners. This cycle of cruelty is shown in the Russian revolution by Joseph Stalin who is represented by Napoleon in the story. Cruelty in animal farm is shown by the human’s treatment of the animals, and the animal’s eventual treatment of each other and the ironic characteristics of the two.
Farmers are essentially the back-bone of the entire food system. Large-scale family farms account for 10% of all farms, but 75% of overall food production, (CSS statistics). Without farmers, there would be no food for us to consume. Big business picked up on this right away and began to control the farmers profits and products. When farmers buy their land, they take out a loan in order to pay for their land and farm house and for the livestock, crops, and machinery that are involved in the farming process. Today, the loans are paid off through contracts with big business corporations. Since big business has such a hold over the farmers, they take advantage of this and capitalize on their crops, commodities, and profits. Farmers are life-long slaves to these b...
Farmers have no specific amount of money that they are going to receive each year. This unreliability upon income causes financial problems when a family is involved.