Reply #5: It's a subsidy, no doubt. [View All]

[dcfirefighter]

Interesting how money going to a farmer isn't considered welfare by the Repubs.

I wouldn't want to pull the rug out from under them, but I wouldn't mind phasing out such subsidies, and overall caps seem to be a good way to do it, but there are ways to make your big farm look like a bunch of small farms....

Food prices wouldn't go up that much, we'd just have to import some (sugar, rice) from third world nations, who just might become independent of the WB/IMF.

Even if food prices did go up, it'd just mean people would eat less meat, and more grains and vegetable.

Modern variations of 'intercropping', sustainable farming, and organic farming can produce as high, or higher yields per acre than the 'green' revolution's use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. They just require more labor, but not much. The methods tend to favor individually owned & operated farms, and require less capital.