Farm Bill Profile: PA-17
The Farmin' 17th! Rep. Tim Holden
Or as we'd refer to it here at EWG, a farm bill loser.
Why? Because PA-17 ranks 108th nationwide for the market value of agricultural products sold (according to the 2002 Census of Agriculture). In farm subsidies, the district ranks a distant #164 for the period 1995-2005, with total payments just under $100 million.
Of course, for most of that period, the district's important dairy industry was supported by a subsidy structure that worked by propping up milk prices, artificially raising consumer prices, without significant direct payments from taxpayers.
The district is held by Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa., the new vice chairman of the full committee and chairman of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research.
Here's PA-17 in the EWG Farm Subsidy Database.
And here's a look at the district via the 2002 Census of Agriculture. Note the importance of non-subsidized agriculture in Chairman Holden's district...seems like a good fit for conservation programs, marketing and research that would benefit producers even if they do grow the "wrong" things.
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