The 2014 Farm Bill Analysis and Description
explanatory Essay
1323 words
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.
The ultimate purpose of the bill is to feed the country...
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...itle IV”. United States Department of Agriculture; Economic Research Service. 11 April 2014.
Works Cited
Kunich, Elizabeth. “What’s in the 2014 Farm Bill?” Huffington Post.com. 30 January 2014: 1-2.
Scuse, Michael T. “Risk Management Agency; 2014 Farm Bill Implementation Listening Session” Federal Ragister. (2014):14472-14475. Business Source Ebsco Host. MGSC. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Nutrition: Title IV”. United States Department of Agriculture; Economic Research Service. 11 April 2014.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the 2014 farm bill is a wise use of tax dollars because of its many programs, extensions, and restrictions that will benefit the agriculture industry.
- Explains the different sections of the farm bill are separate by titles. the first title is commodities, which addresses the risk management necessary for farmers to maintain their livelihood.
- Explains that the bill's second title is conservation. it reduces 23 programs into thirteen, and saves approximately six billion dollars by cutting back on program duplication.
- Describes the third title of the act, which is the trade aspect of agriculture industry. the act includes programs to speed the response to international food crises.
- Explains the nutrition aspect of the bill, which holds eighty percent of project overlays funding. it preserves access to critical food assistance for families, establishes and expands programs that provide healthy foods to low-income children, seniors, and families.
- Explains that the fifth title in the new act includes provisions regarding credit. the contract land sales program guarantees loans to retiring farmers who sell their land to beginning or socially disadvantaged farmers.
- Opines that kunich, elizabeth, is of "what's in the 2014 farm bill?"
- States scuse, michael t., "risk management agency; 2014 farm bill implementation listening session." federal ragister.
- Explains the u.s. department of agriculture's "nutrition: title iv".
- Opines that kunich, elizabeth, is of "what's in the 2014 farm bill?"
- States scuse, michael t., "risk management agency; 2014 farm bill implementation listening session." federal ragister.
- Explains the u.s. department of agriculture's "nutrition: title iv".
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In this essay, the author
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- Explains that the farm bureau federation started in missouri on march 24, 1915, with the goal of protecting the agricultural industry and improving the quality of life for rural missourians.
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In this essay, the author
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In this essay, the author
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1477 wordsRead More - The Pros and Cons of Agribusinesopinion essayLynch, D. J. & Bjerga, A. (2013, September 9). Taxpayers turn U.S. farmers into fat cats with subsidies.
In this essay, the author
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- Opines that as more farmers and investors are willing to incur debt, there is also an increase in debt.
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- Explains that adjusters and claim agents were paid off up to $1 million dollars.
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- Introduces gibbon, j., and sliwa, m. critical perspectives on fair trade: an introduction.
- Analyzes ha-brookshire, j. e., and norum, p. s. (2011). willingness to pay for socially responsible products.
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- Opines that gmos, safety concerns and international trade: developing countries’.
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- Explains sherrick, b. j., mallory, m. l. & hopper, t. what’s the ticker symbol for farmland?
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- Explains that the number of farms in the united states peaked at 6.8 million in 1935. food demand has increased and food security is still a priority for all countries.
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- Explains that farmers' debts have risen by nearly 30 percent since 2007 and the bulk of those loans were made by farmers.
- Explains that there are still hungry people in the world due to the inability to purchase the supply.
- Opines that farming and agribusiness may be the next economic boom but it may also be bust.
- Explains that farmers are privy to subsidies and crop insurance, but these elements encourage risk and fraud. there is not enough data on gmos to understand the long-term effects on farmers.
2350 wordsRead More - Rural American Family Farmsanalytical essayOxfam America is a supporter of small family farm based business, according to Laura Rusu the US government spends up to 16 billion dollars a year on farm payments. Most of those funds from the US government go towards large commercial farms. Oxfam America is supporting the act called the Rural America Preservation Act, which will help smaller based farms with funding. Since there are so many loopholes in the current government system that are only helping the larger commercial based farms, this Act will help prevent these loopholes and help the smaller farms with more funding. There are many misleading ideas about the small scale farms, some of which are that small scale farms cannot support a family, that they need to grow into large scale farms to make money, and that small scale farming is usually just a hobby or for extra income. After researching the agribusiness, most of these accusations and most because small scale farms could be more successful if they were provided the support from state and federal governments like they should be.
In this essay, the author
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- Analyzes how the us government spends up to 16 billion dollars each year on farm payments, and 70 percent of the money goes to the farms that are already receiving government funding.
- Explains that most people who grew up in larger cities have been mislead to what a small farm is. the census bureau reports that these primary small family business farms have less than $100,000 in annual gross sales.
- Explains that the small farms cannot afford the irrigation systems of the larger farms. the large farms can afford essentials such as fertilizers, tractors, and wildlife control.
- Opines that the larger commercial farms receive more subsidy payments than smaller family farms. corporate concentration in the beef-packing business alone costs the nation’s cattle producers $10 billion a year in revenues.
- Argues that the rural america preservation act will help american family farms receive payments from the government that large commercial farms have been receiving in the past.
1082 wordsRead More - Environments Affecting the Coffe Industry in America: Starbucksexplanatory essayThe 2014 Farm Bill signed by Obama in February 2014 will help the United States economy keep the cost of all dairy products down. The bill is put in to place as an insurance policy or margin protection program for American dairy farmers that are impacted by a catastrophic condition such as weather extremes, or prolonged periods of low margin rates (Producers weighing dairy policy shift in new farm bill). A significant increase in beef, poultry, fruit, vegetables or dairy prices directly impacts the consumer cost and will indirectly cause companies go out of business that directly deal in these product.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the natural environment has many downstream impacts that affect the coffee industry. global warming is creating increasing difficulty for coffee farmers to maintain their crops.
- Explains porter's five force competitor analysis as a system of evaluating an industry’s future opportunity for long-term growth.
- Explains that the threat of new entrants into the industry is low because starbucks has highly saturated the market.
- Explains that starbucks coffee bean suppliers have high bargaining power due to the high demand of coffee in the global economy.
- Explains that starbucks is committed to having 100% of the coffee they purchased to be ethically sourced through c.a.f.e practices, fairtrade or another externally audited source.
- Cites buchanan, m. (november 5, 2013) better brewing through technology, perhaps, the new yorker.
- Explains that starbucks brings back lemon cake after customer gripe. starbucks retools its bakery menu after customers complain.
- Explains that producers weigh dairy policy shift in the new farm bill.
- Explains that starbucks uses a holistic approach using responsible purchasing practices, farmer loans, and forest conservation programs.
- Explains that the us economy is starting to recover from the recent recession with a drop in unemployment rate from 7.7% to 6.7% in 02/2014. the 2014 farm bill will help the united states economy keep the cost of all dairy products down.
- Explains the regulatory environment that affects the coffee industry is the tariffs and taxes placed on coffee bean imports into the country of consumption.
- Opines that companies must stay abreast of new ways to advertise their products and make service fast, efficient, and reliable.
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- Explains that buzzkill? how climate change could eventually end coffee, us news. moore, v., what’s your coffee costing the planet?
1656 wordsRead More - Hungry for a Change: Factory Farmsopinion essayWender, Melanie J. "Goodbye Family Farms and Hello Agribusiness: The Story of How Agricultural Policy Is Destroying the Family Farm and the Environment." Villanova Environmental Law Journal 22.1 (2011): n. pag. 1 Jan. 2011. Web.
In this essay, the author
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- Explains that factory farming is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide are emitted from burning fossil fuels.
- Explains that the dairy and beef industry has had to shift from pasture-based animals to dry-lots where the animals can receive nutrients but are not outside.
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- Explains that industrial farms fill animals with harsh hormones, pesticides and antibiotics to lessen their ability to get sick and improve their average daily gain.
- Explains that 80% of all antibiotics sold in the us are given to the farm animals on industrial farms. when ingested by humans, it causes us to become ill.
- Compares industrial farms to hospitals from a nightmare. animals are confined indoors, fed unnatural diets and pumped with antibiotics.
- Opines that vegetarianism and in-vitro meat are safe and healthier alternatives to meat.
- Opines that sustainable farming is a great alternative to factory farming, and argues that it helps repair local ecosystems, boost farmers' yields and mitigate the degradation caused by mechanized agriculture.
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2512 wordsRead More - Consistency in the National School Lunch Programexplanatory essayShahin, Jessica. US department of agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services. (2011). Implementation of the healthy, hunger-free kids act of 2010, snap education provision. Alexandria, VA : Government printing office.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the national school lunch program needs to standardize and regulate their nutritional standards at all schools to curb the growing prevalence of childhood obesity and other weight related diseases.
- Explains that the usda does not regulate what schools choose to make for students receiving reduced or free lunches and leaves the punishment to the state.
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- Argues that the national school lunch program needs to standardize and regulate their set nutritional standards at all schools to curb the growing prevalence of childhood obesity and other weight related diseases.
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2073 wordsRead More - American Agriculture Needs a Free-Market Systemanalytical essayThe words to the famous old children’s song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” are due for a revision. The new lines should read “Old MacDonald had a farm . . . with a lawyer here, and an accountant there, and everywhere a new federal program and regulation.” Not quite as poetic, but definitely more appropriate. The current state of agribusiness consists of an incredibly complex mix of subsidies, price supports, and bureaucratic regulations that could confound the most knowledgeable business minds. Underlying this tangled web of rules and regulations are political battles that pit normally allied groups against each other, and bring normally adversarial groups into allegiance. One bizarre outcome of federal farm policy is that consumers and tax-payers (usually one and the same) are set at cross-purposes. In this paper, I will highlight some of the unusual policies that exist today and will try to present some rational alternatives to alleviate the nightmare that is U.S. agribusiness. E...I...E...I...Ohhhhhhh.....
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the current state of agribusiness consists of an incredibly complex mix of subsidies, price supports, and bureaucratic regulations.
- Explains that the united states government and agriculture have had a working relationship for most of the twentieth century.
- Explains that artificially high prices provide an incentive for an efficient producer to undercut the price to grab a larger share of the market.
- Analyzes how the great depression changed american society's perception of agri-cultural vitality.
- Analyzes how the two major parties split on economic issues. the 1985 farm bill brought to the extreme the absurdity of federal farm policy.
- Explains that american agriculture was built on the backs of individual farmers working small homesteads. as the industrial revolution improved technology, farmers were able to work larger acreages.
- Argues that agribusiness cannot be efficiently based on their predominance. they argue that the federal government should have no interest in the structure of the industry.
- Analyzes the travesty of u.s. agricultural policy. the farmer borrows money from the farm credit system, which needed a $58 billion bailout in 1987.
- Analyzes the effect of artificially high prices on the consumer, and argues that poor people in america pay the lowest percentage of their income toward food, approximately 16%.
- Opines that the free-market system has worked well for this country, but it is time to cut the apron strings.
2023 wordsRead More - Changes in the American Consumer's Food Consumption Patternargumentative essayPuthnam J.J. and Allshore J.E. (1999). Food consumption prices and expenditures, 1970-1997. Food and Rural EACONOMIC Division, Economic Research Service, USDA Statiscal Bulletin 965
In this essay, the author
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- Explains the formula used in calculating the price and income elasticity of each food category.
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- Explains the factors responsible for the changes in us food consumption patterns in the past years, including food prices, disposable income, and more food assistants to the poor.
- Explains that the formula for calculating the income elasticity of each category of food was derived by employing price and per capita consumption time series data for the period 2000 – 2009.
- Compares the consumption of beef and other food products, stating that the price elasticity of the products is inelastic.
- Describes the reasons why americans are obese, and explains kantor's findings.
- Explains puthnam, chern, ishibaashi, and taniguchi's analysis of food consumption behavior by japanese households. wells, h.f. and buzby, j.c.
2894 wordsRead More