Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
aka Get paid NOT to farm.
My Mom owns a few acres of farmland. The government pays her not to farm it.
Say what?
Yes, you heard me correctly.
She earns money not to farm her land.
Over $200/acre/year on 10 year contracts.
If she rented it out as pasture, she would get about $70/acre.
She has no equipment to actually farm it. She could contract it, but they split 60 rowcropper/40 land owner, and it's not really that good for row crops, so that would be a losing proposition, too.
Who's bright idea was it to pay farmers NOT to farm?
source
It is funded by the federal government through USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). Is it Agriculture if you don't actually farm the land? Interestingly enough on their website, they refer to the landowner as producers.
If you like propaganda...
The idea is absurd. Why does the federal government meddle in what should be a free market?
- There used to be over 50,000 pages of sugar beet regulations.
- Back around 1984 the government bought the dairy herd down.
- More dairy regs
- Sets a minimum price for a gallon of milk.
Purchase any amount of dairy products at the minimum price.
Subsidize the entire industry.
Impose trade barriers for dairy products.
Subsidize exporting dairy products.
- Sets a minimum price for a gallon of milk.
- All those give dairy farmers incentives to overproduce, knowing they will get paid top dollar regardless. This leads to inflated prices consumers must pay for dairy products. And don't forget for, we the taxpayers, we are the ones subsidizing the bloated dairy industry.
- In the real world, a free market system would produce the exact amount of milk required at the least amount of money to consumers. If there was overproduction, prices would come down. When prices come down, the dairies would produce less. Causing the price to rebound. At some point the perfect mix of production and consumption would occur. The savvy producers would find ways to make the most milk for the least amount of money. Consumers would win.
- More dairy regs
So it is with the entire agriculture regulation & subsidy situation. I live in the middle of farming country. The small farmers have 2nd jobs, so they can eat and have utilties. The big farmers know how to work the government programs and are getting richer by the minute. The rich get richer... You are going to have a hard time if you ever decide to become a farmer. The only farmers around here are kids of farmers. There are even more kids of farmers around here that used to farm and now work a regular J.O.B.
Show me one program the government has been successful at.
That true free enterprise in a free market couldn't do better...
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I'm waiting.
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Still waiting...
Everything the government gets involved in,
they screw it up!
@WizarDave
Why can't I grow industrial hemp?
Because the federal government has outlawed it.
- That is actually one product we probably could grow on Mom's land and turn a nice profit.
- Since Americans like hemp products, and hemp can't be produced in America, we import tons of the stuff from other countries.
- 💡 jabi... If the government actually cared about farmers (each farming subsidy they create is supposedly "to help the farmers"...), why not let us grow hemp and create a market for hemp products?
- Since Americans like hemp products, and hemp can't be produced in America, we import tons of the stuff from other countries.
Maybe the government is looking out for our (consumers) best interest.
After all, if farming wasn't subsidized, where would we get our food?
Emoji Source
What is jabi?
jabi = Just Another Bright Idea
pronounced jab eye
 | Meaning you can't waste your vote |
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Speaking of 
That way I can upvote you my 2 cents and it will raise that up so it's not dust and you will actually get paid. Otherwise, I won't waste a vote on your comment. Make sense? If not, maybe you need to read this information...
 @WizarDave |  |
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