There is a site you might want to look into if you ag involved: its www.ewg.org, go there, click on farm subsudey data base, click on your state, fill in your county and see what going on in your neighborhood, might be a bit scarry......

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), January 05, 2002

Answers

Wow, I can't believe it! I wonder how these people are getting all these farm subsidies???? Some were over $50,000 for a 4 year period. We were listed for a mere $202. What are we doing wrong??? A lot of these people who got several thousand $$$ I know don't have any more land than we do or farm any more. Perhaps I'd better check into this better but then I'm not so sure I want to take a chance with the "strings that might be attached". Opinions, anyone??

-- Barb in Ky. (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), January 05, 2002.

I looked at this earlier and I couldn't believe the number of people who are receiving these subsidies. Many of them get more a year than we make! I guess it depends on why they get them, as most who I saw that are getting them, don't appear to be hurting financially. It is taxpayers money and runs into Billions of dollars.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), January 05, 2002.

Remember that is a four year cumulative amount. Also remember that farmers have to pay for their tractors, fuel, fertilizer, etc., at retail prices, and then they sell their crops at wholesale prices. Farm subsidies may be the only thing keeping farmers in the U.S. in business and also keeping the price of cereal from going to $15 a box and the price of hamburger to $5 a pound.

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), January 05, 2002.

Hi folks, Well we are on that list also. We farm 550 acres. There is alot of information you people don't have that that should make a difference in how you look at those figures. We have been here on this farm for almost 25 years. Our expenses have almost tripled in that time but the commodity prices have dropped a great deal. Your government has helped to drop those commodity prices. I wish I had saved the article that showed where some of the money Congress gives to the farm program. I was shocked to see how much was given to administration costs,etc. Do some research before you judge. Personally I am tired of working 7 days a week for almost nothing. My husband has gone to work at the local hospital to help out. Many ask why we don't give up and sell out.That will happen eventually. We have been living like this for 6 years. But when we sell out people forget we are selling our home and not just a way of making a living. Cindy

-- Cindy Herbek (dh40203@navix.net), January 05, 2002.

Please don't think I was judging anyone adversely. I guess when I looked at some of the bigger ones in Ohio, that were getting 2 million dollars, that seems like a lot of money to me. Even the site itself was set up because they did not feel the amounts and the distribution method were fair. I know many local farmers and helped work on one throughout high-school. Some do get the subsidies, but most people around here don't.

I don't know how farmers who get the same amount of money for their milk they were getting 10 years ago, are able to still function. We have had some discussions about this before and I always stand behind the farmer. But I do think that a few million in subsidies does not qualify as a small family farm!

-- Melissa (me@home.net), January 06, 2002.

I looked up our county and what made me so mad were some of the "farmers" that got subsidies, I know for a fact are local politicians and lawyers around here. They don't farm as their livliehood and are very wealthy on their own. I wonder how could they qualify? Shouldn't the program be set up just for farmers who actually make their income off of the farm? It seems like there would be more money to go to the actual farmers if these people would keep their hands out of it. Geeze, how greedy can they get!

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), January 06, 2002.

Annie, I noticed the same thing around here. Too many local politicians and also a lawyer or two at the top of the list who I know don't farm. And the rich get richer! I have no qualms with it going to the small farmer either but seems they are not the ones getting most of it.

-- Barb in Ky. (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), January 07, 2002.

No matter what zipcode I entered in our su-burban, urban area, the database was showing subsidies. I finally entered 21205 which could barely have a garden. I found many listed, including a lawyer representing an estate.

-- Rick (Rick_122@hotmail.com), January 07, 2002.