Page 76 - Fall2012

re-convenes in September, the Senate will have to the 2012 Farm Bill focused on a few specific
decide whether or not to pass the House’s disaster amendments that could have helped our farmers
bill, while the House continues to face the issue raise nutrient-dense foods with less interference
of whether or not to vote on the Farm Bill. from the government.
But this debate about short-term relief and Thank you to everyone who took the time
the politics of the Farm Bill misses the big pic- to act on the action alerts! Your calls do make a
ture―why have so many farmers gone out of difference. After analyzing the senators’ votes
business despite the safety nets, and why are con- on the amendments discussed below, it appears
sumers facing higher prices for even low-quality that your calls turned several senators from
food? Neither the House Committee version nor likely “no” votes to “yes” votes. Even though
the Senate version addresses the fundamental the amendments did not pass, each legislator we
problem, namely that government subsidies have influence brings us one step closer to winning
created incentives for large-scale monocultures next time.
We used to and industrial agriculture. Instead, both versions On the Senate side, WAPF asked for your
have farm of the bill rely on a crop insurance program that calls to support two long-shot amendments.
policies sounds more palatable to the general public but The first, the DeMint Amendment, would have
stopped mandatory Checkoff programs. There
changes very little in reality.
designed to We used to have farm policies designed to are currently eighteen mandatory “Checkoff”
try to smooth try to smooth out some of the volatility of food programs. Under these programs, anytime a

out some markets without creating perverse incentives, by farmer sells a cow or a gallon of milk or any
managing the supply of major commodity crops
other covered commodity, the farmer is legally
of the like corn, soybeans, wheat and other grains. required to pay a fee to industry-run organiza-
volatility of These programs were dismantled in the 1980s tions. These funds are used to pay for things such

food markets and early 1990s, as discussed in the last issue as the “Got Milk?” and “Pork, the other white
of Wise Traditions. The first step in fixing this
meat” advertising campaigns. These advertising
without would be to create a grain reserve―a concept campaigns benefit primarily the retailers and
creating that dates back to ancient civilizations, which grocery stores, yet the farmers are stuck paying
perverse recognized the need (to which our current politi- the bills. When it comes to raw milk, the industry
adds insult to injury by promoting only pasteur-
cians appear oblivious) to have supplies of stor-
incentives, by able food in case of droughts or other disasters. ized milk products and even running ads against
managing Reserves can also be used to protect farmers raw milk―but they still require raw milk farmers
the supply when they have a great year, since overproduc- to pay to support those ads. The DeMint Amend-
tion drives down prices and can result in farmers
ment would have barred any Checkoff program
of major going out of business just because of widespread from being mandatory, so that our farmers would
commodity crop success; with a grain reserve program, no longer be coerced to support advertising ef-
crops like corn, some of the bumper crop goes into the reserve to forts that are not in their interest.

protect our food security and keep market prices
The following Senators voted yes, sup-
soybeans, from cratering. The National Farmers Union porting farmers' choice: Ayotte (R-NH); Brown
wheat and has a proposal for creating a farmer-controlled (R-MA); Burr (R-NC); Coats (R-IN); Coburn (R-
other grains. reserve program, but the current Congress has OK); Cornyn (R-TX); DeMint (R-SC); Graham
(R-SC); Hatch (R-UT); Heller (R-NV); Johnson
not even considered it. If the 2012 Farm Bill does
These indeed become the 2013 Farm Bill, we will have (R-WI); Kyl (R-AZ); Lee (R-UT); McCain (R-
programs were another opportunity to try to push for real reform AZ); McConnell (R-KY); Murkowski (R-AK);
dismantled in to deal with the long-term problem of creating Paul (R-KY); Rubio (R-FL); Sessions (R-AL);
a stable food supply, rather than focusing on the
Toomey (R-PA).
the 1980s and latest crisis. The second amendment WAPF supported
early 1990s. was the Sanders Amendment to permit states to
SPECIFIC FARM BILL AMENDMENTS require that any food, beverage or other edible
With no solid proposals to reform the fun- product offered for sale have a label indicating
damentals of the Farm Bill, our action alerts for that the food, beverage or other edible product
76 Wise Traditions FALL 2012 FALL 2012 Wise Traditions

101665_text.indd 76 9/14/12 1:33 AM