I agree with choosing your shopping wisely, but the Government got us into this, they will never do anything right.

Only what is good for them.

~Bonnie

: By Brian Wakamo (via Otherwords)

: We should be supporting the small farmers who sell at farmers
: markets, not the corporate giants that hurt our health and
: environment.

: Summer: the season of barbecues, baseball games, and backyard
: fun. It’s also the time of year when the American farming
: industry comes into full swing producing the crops we hold

: near and dear.

: The pastoral ideal of golden fields of corn and wheat is what
: comes to mind for most people, and they’d be on the right
: track. Corn, soybeans, and wheat are the three biggest
: crops grown in this country, and — along with cows, pigs,
: and chicken — make up the bulk of our farming output.

: There’s a reason for this: The federal government heavily
: subsidizes those products. In fact, the bulk of U.S.
: farming subsidies go to only 4 percent of farms —
: overwhelmingly large and corporate operations — that grow
: these few crops.

: For the most part, that corn, soy, and wheat doesn’t even go
: to feed our populace. More of it goes into the production
: of ethanol — which is also heavily subsidized — and into
: the mouths of those cows, pigs, and chickens stuffed into
: feedlots. Those grains purchased by the feedlots are also
: federally subsidized, allowing producers to buy grains at
: below market prices.

: When we do eat these foods, they’re sold back to us in
: unhealthy forms, pumped full of high fructose corn syrup
: and growth hormones. Large corporate farms and feedlots
: also poison waterways, drain aquifers, and pollute the air.

: Meanwhile, small farmers continue to go broke, thanks to the
: low cost of foods subsidized by the government for
: corporate buyers. Even the few companies that provide seeds
: and equipment for farmers receive their own tax breaks from
: state governments, while farmers are stuck with the bill of
: goods sold to them from companies like John Deere and
: Monsanto.

: Does this help feed America? Not really: We still buy most of
: our food from far-flung places. So why is our government
: subsidizing this production model?

: Plain and simple: Corporations buy these subsidies for pennies
: on the dollar.

: In 2011, the agribusiness industry spent around $100 million
: to lobby and campaign for federal support. They got
: billions in subsidies in return, making them the biggest
: recipients of corporate welfare.

: This is disgraceful. Why should our government support big
: businesses that poison us and our environment?

: Congress is now considering a new Farm Bill. The recently
: shot-down first draft cut funding for rural development and
: conservation programs, while opening up loopholes for
: corporate farms to access more subsidies. That should open
: the field for newer, better ideas.

: All politicians champion small businesses, especially those in
: the heartland where most agricultural production takes
: places. If they’re going to subsidize agriculture, why not
: give more support to family farms, which often farm more
: sustainably and grow much healthier foods?

: Instead of supporting factory farms and mono-crops, we could
: provide incentives for crop rotations, reduced usage of
: pesticides and herbicides, pasture-raised meat, and organic
: practices. Studies show that practices like organic farming
: produce only marginally less than conventional farms.

: These practices are a part and parcel of a growing segment of
: the agricultural industry bolstered by health and
: environmentally conscious consumers. Farmers who sell their
: products at farmers markets and through community supported
: agriculture groups should be heralded and paid for their
: support of the community.

: This could also lower the costs of healthier foods, which
: often are priced prohibitively for the people who need them
: most. Expanding the market for food farmed sustainably and
: ethically grown would benefit all consumers — and address
: the health crisis brought on by the mass consumption of
: unhealthy foods.

: Why should we subsidize things that harm us all when we can
: help out the farmers who support a better life and
: environment for us all?

: About the author: Brian Wakamo is part of the Global Economy
: Project at the Institute for Policy Studies. This article
: courtesy of Otherwords.org.