There's a nice piece today (subscription required) by Robert Pore in the Grand Island Independent on the EWG Farm Subsidy Database's tally of farm subsidy payments for 2005 to Nebraska's enormous 3rd Congressional District, now held by Rep. Tom Osborne. Congressman-elect Adrian Smith will take over when the 110th Congress convenes in January.

Here's a look at NE-3's profile from the 2002 Census of Agriculture. This is a good example of how a districts's ranking based on the market value of agricultural products sold matches up with the subsidy ranking: the top ranking for subsidies in 2005 jives with the district's #2 ranking in 2002 for market value of agricultural products sold.

But you wonder how enthused all those NE-3 cattlemen and other livestock producers will be about proposals to continue big crop subsidy payments if those payments come on top of the high market prices the animal protein world is facing now now for corn and soybeans. The value of livestock products in NE-3 considerably exceeds the value of crops.

Maybe the district's livestock producers would prefer to see more investment in federal conservation and rural development programs instead?