I love the Secretary's comments about how he toured the country through his "listening sessions" and heard what farmers in this country really wanted in a new farm bill. Translation : I'm gonna have these "listening sessions" and hopefully some against the grain person in the audience will say what I want to hear. This is so comical every time I hear Johanns speak about these "listening sessions". He had the "listening sessions" alright. However, the only time he was listening was when someone was saying what he wanted to hear.

Johanns is a creation, bought and paid for by big business. Not a man of the people. He doesn't listen or care.

YARDDOG: Sorry I can't agree with you there, even if I'm not on board with everything Sec. Johanns says. He has taken a strong stand on limiting payments to wealthy individuals and investing more in conservation and rural development. --COOK

Mr Cook,

You have the numbers at your disposal on our operation. I guess you consider me "wealthy" and not in need of farm support payments. I sure would like for you to examine our debt schedule, look me in the eye and call me wealthy. But considering you don't even respond to my comments, I don't know why I bother.

I read all of Johanns comments and agree he doesn't care. Neither does the FSA or USDA on the local level. We are a produce farm, in foreclosure due to Wifes business closing after 911 and have applied for farmland preservation, FSA Operating Loan and Ownership Loans and have been denied all three. We have quoted Johanns in our presentations and pleas for help to the County and State Ag Dev Board, our Congressman, Senator, President Bush, Johanns himself, and asked why we are not qualifying for one single program that is supposed to be helping the beginner farmer, Women Owned Farmer, Socially Disadvantaged Farmer, Continuing Farmer, etc. Yet the Billion Dollar Owners of Land are collecting money that I thought was intended for farmers that were in real need. Instead our 31 acre produce farm is headed for auction in a couple of months and I bet one of these billion dollar corporations will be in line to buy it for nothing, then they will miraculously qualify for the farmland preservation that we applied for and also subsidy programs that we didn't qualify for. It is very amazing to me. I have never tried to use the system that I thought was there to help farmers in desperate need and when I was forced to because of the economic down turn because farming was our only income my eyes were opened to the real truth. Its like a blow to the gut knowing its all a bunch of crap. When I took my letter of hardship to the local Congressmens office I broke down in tears and couldn't talk. I have never heard from them or anyone else that I sent my hardship letter to at the Local, State or Government level. I have to agree they don't care!!!! The only hope of help is the fact that Bush is going to veto this recent bill that has no change. The buyouts of politicians has to stop and the money needs to save our local farmers. Soon there wont be any local farmers left and the only way to get food to the stores will be through these corporate and politically owned corporations that will dictate prices and supply. They might even start sending our countries needs overseas to supply us for food. Isn't that a joke. The country that is supposed to be able to feed the world will be buying food from other countries to survive because our government thinks its good to be global friendly. thats why our economy hasn't rebounded since 911. Because we keep offshoring all of our jobs to other countries. Now we have millions of people who continue to lose their jobs and need the food stamps and social services just to buy a meager 40.00 per week for food. We need a president to run that brings back the middle class that is being destroyed. That is what our country was built on and more rapidly then ever it is disappearing. Its frightening. I heard a speech that Hillary Clinton gave stating that she is the most experienced to run for office because she knows the system and that is how she will get done what needs to be done because you have to work within the system. I totally disagree with that. The SYSTEM is BROKEN. We need someone to step in change the system. Keeping the sytem and working within a broken systems parameters just keeps putting a bandaid on the problem and the same crap continues to happen. Why is is that money still controls everything? They say our unemployment rate is low?? Its low because all of the middle class americans who had decent jobs have lost them to offshoring them for cheaper wages and those people are left with working at Home Depot. These are people who want to work and now can't find work due to the fact we are offshoring the jobs. But yes, they have a job. This domino effect then feeds into the whole problem with the mortgage crisis right now. These same people who did qualify for their loans and could afford their mortgages when they got them, now can't afford their mortgages because they don't have the job they had when they got the mortgage. The middle class is becoming extinct in this country. These people can't afford the house they once were able to because they are either unemployed or working at almost minimum wage. Its like everyone at the government level has their blinders on and doesn't want to see what is happening. Its like a train wreck heading for a cliff and it just hasn't gone off the end yet.
Kim

Hi Kim, I am really sorry to hear about you possibly losing your farm. Have you ever contacted FarmAid? I've never been in your shoes but it may be worth a shot! Wishing you the best.

Michele

Yes, I don't think there is any organization I haven't tried. Farm Aid sounds great but they too like most others only help put farmers in touch with the FSA, USDA and other organizations that are supposed to help. They don't have a fund or any type of financing to help farmers. I'm in NJ and NJ doesn't have alot of support like states in the Midwest and in the South. Many farmers in other states have State Programs like Aggie Bonds which help farmers in our situation by providing low interest loans without the red tape like the FSA and USDA have. They also have Economic Development Groups that offer loans through private investment funds. NJ doesn't have any creative programs like this and is the reason it is hard to stay farming in this state. We grow produce which isn't eligible for any of the government subsidies that are paid out to help farmers. Unless you grow acres of corn or soybeans pretty much there is no support for Produce Growers or any other kind of more creative farming. Many of the loan programs through the FSA and USDA are also only accustomed to doing lending to this type of farming activity because they have much more data that has been gathered which makes it easier for the banks to approve the loans. There is a great article on a study that was done in NC regarding recommendations for a complete process redesign on how to help their farmers stay in business. It is true for any state in the 2000 century but commercial farm entities reaping the government subsidies don't want to change a thing. Why should they? They have it made. I am doing what I can to voice my opinion through blogs, letters to politicians, visiting our local constituents when they are nearby. I haven't given up on saving my farm and I now have the lender at least talking to us about a workout agreement. They need 35K by 9/25. We have 12K but not the 35K. I am trying to sell some horses and equipment to come up with the difference. If anyone reading this knows of a lending source, even hardmoney lenders please email me at gapviewfarms@gmail.com. Our web page can be viewed on local harvest at http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M18034
Thanks for your words of support.
KimG

If farmers have to get government welfare to farm, they are not farmers and need to do something else. Stop buying into the lie "get bigger or get out". Stop buying into the lies told by the agri-corporations to sell their products. Organic, no-till farming is profitable.

It is appalling to know the amount of money that is given to wealthy farmers in farm subsidies. Also to farmers who live in large cities and to quote Dwight D. Eisenhower (their pencil is their plow.) How many hungry and sick childen go to bed at night because their parents cannot afford medical care or food, but the farmers still get their handouts. Our Congressmen and Senators should have to answer for this squandered tax money when it could go to more needy causes. We need term limits in the worst way, both state and national. Beatrice Burnett

In Ft Worh, Texas -- inside the city limits -- hay is baled & of course receiving Ag exemptions -- next to the Hilton. In West Texas, I have to fight the FSA to receive assistance because my family has a partnership for estate purposes -- doesn't compute, does it.

How many of those in D.C. are our congressmen? I am sure they get there share also! Lets see -- congress now has a 11% approval rate!

I live in the Midwest (Illinois)... after reading the farm subsidy database just for my rural area, it is a real eye-opener for the few farmers who recieve too many dollars just in this area. I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach to think about the city slickers who never sow, but reap huge benefits from farms they have never seen, nor will ever see. Congress needs to clean up this mess.

Dear Sirs,

If we are so supportive of free markets, trade, democracy, and subsidies, why don't we encourage our most successful farmers to move to countries that need their expertise; help them raise incomes and consumption (as in China); expand trade; help them spread democracy in their new host countries; and still pay them subsidies to get the job done?

Wouldn't that be good for all of us?

The business of farming is one more banking industry blunder just like the housing industry. Land prices, machinery prices, cost of doing business etc, doesn't pencil out. They know that, yet they continue to pay more and more, and getting bailed out year after year. We keep hearing that without the subsidies, we wouldn't eat. That is just nonsense. The good farmers, the ones with the strategy and know-how to live within their means will survive and the ones that are out there buying the new combines and tractors for hundreds of thousands of dollars and land at $3500+ an acre are going to go belly up, just like any other business.

PS: When i hear of the poor farmers that put in 20 hours a day i just laugh. Crop farmers put in 2 weeks in the spring, 2 weeks in the fall maybe, but not year round. Livestock farmers now days have some poor schmuck doing chores for them for minimum wage and bitch and moan about how hard it is to find good help anymore (ie slave labor)