In 1919, farmers from thirty states, including Missouri, saw a need. They gathered in Chicago and formed the American Farm Bureau Federation. In 1919, they had one goal, they wanted to speak for themselves with the help of their own national organization. Since 1919, Farm Bureau has operated by a philosophy that states: “analyze the problem of farmers and develop a plan of action for these problems” (Missouri). In the past 94 years, the A...
When an individual sets their mind to a cause and dedicates a lot of their time and effort to fight for what they believe in, they can accomplish a lot. Tom Harkin displayed a lot of courage throughout his life whether it was in school, the armed forces or even during his time as a politician for the state of Iowa, and by doing so he left a great legacy at Iowa State University that many students can admire.
Farmers and taxpayers have brought their concerns to the government regarding agriculture since the first farm bill in 1933. The bill was called the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933. It was enacted in response to the Great Depression. The rapidly dropping crop prices, national hunger, and trade failure spurned the farmers and consumers to cry out to the government. The government responded with the Agricultural Adjustment Act that adapted tax and production laws to fit the needs of the economy. Since then, fifteen more bills have been passed regarding the needs of the agricultural community. The previous act of 2008 was titled, “The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act”. Many issues that had been pressed since 2002, were addressed in this act. The act held restrictions and provisions that mostly expired by October 1, 2013. Now, in 2014, a new bill is required to extend old programs and provisions and address new current issues. The new agriculture act of 2014 was passed on February 7. It was titled, “The Food, Farm, and Jobs Bill”. The bill has had varied reactions from relief to disgust. Most farmers and citizens involved in the agriculture business support the tax bill, but many taxpaying citizens outside of the agriculture industry are complaining that the substantial amount of tax dollars being put into the various programs and provisions of the bill is a waste of money. It could be that the opponents of the act are not considering the benefits it gives to farmers and the positive outcomes it will have on the economy. The 2014 Farm Bill is a wise use of tax dollars because of its many new programs, extensions, and restrictions that will benefit the agriculture industry.
American agriculture has changed dramatically since the first days of mechanized equipment and large-scale crop production. “Many conceived of farming as a rewarding life . . . and a source of moral virtue” (Mariola, 2005). While presently, many view farming as purely economic in purpose. It has been stated that farming in America is decreasing more quickly than any other occupation. Yet, population increases steadily, making agriculture all the more essential. Many current issues are affecting agricultural progress in America; basic concerns over water, land, and climate only begin to describe the complex predicament. Economics, as well as public involvement and education are important tools, needed to save American agriculture.
Kegans, M. (2005). Mountains of Corn and a Sea of Farm Subsidies. The New York Times.
...ut the influence of America's rapidly expanding wealth already left its mark on public life, as many politicians embraced a governing philosophy rooted in the premise that the rich should be allowed to pursue its endeavors with minimal government interference. Urban politics was filled with powerful organizations that exchanged jobs and contracts for political loyalty. Unsurprisingly, the politicians running those organizations always managed to skim a little off the top for themselves. America's farmers suffered during these years. At first, they took advantage of the new technologies and markets of America's growing economy. However, they soon faced increasing competition, saturated markets, and falling produce prices. By the last decades of the century, their share of the national wealth had declined and their iconic place in the American imagination was at risk.
In conclusion, Joe Biden is the perfect man to create a better world. Joe Biden agrees on that illegal immigrants working in the U.S. be granted temporary amnesty and be offered in-state tuition rates at public colleges within their residing state, he is opening more equal opportunity for all of us. Also, he wants to increase the funding of the health care of low income individuals, and wants to increase taxes on the rich to reduce interest rates for student loans , this is a great plan to make the world and each student to be able to be educated. Another factor he wants to fix is our economy by making employers pay equally each employer regardless of age, sex, or ethnicity. However, I do agree with all his points of view, not only because
Agriculture is of major importance to the economy of Canada as it represents 1.5% of gross domestic product (GDP). “Agriculture is an industry that, in the absence of government farm programs, is a real-world example of the perfect-competition model” (McConnell, Brue and Flynn, 2012).
CNN writer Lisa Desjardins explains it in her article 5 Things the Farm Bill Means for You, "..The farm bill beefs up a different kind of subsidy -- a subsidy for crop insurance. This is complex, but in short, the government will make crop insurance cheaper and it will pay out some benefits at lower levels than previously. That will make farming less risky for some. But it transfers that risk to the federal government.." This bill is one that can be argued for a number of reasons with argumentation, there is always two sides to every story. What that means is that whenever anything is added to the bill to try and satisfy one section of the agricultural field, another is disappointed. For example, any farmer that now wants to maintain subsidie to follow a conservation practice to help try and better the enviornment, making enviornmentalist happy. On the other hand, there is the notion that the bill actually overall cuts the federal spending on government conservation programs overall. There are many single ways an individual can go about dissecting the 2014 Farm Bill, but only time will tell to see if there provisions and amendments added will help both sectors and both
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