As I understand it, the farmers in Germany provide fresh, healthy food for the masses at a reasonable cost. The farming business is expensive and unpredictable. The government provides a guaranteed subsidy so that the hard-working farmers are able to withstand unexpected issues like drought, flooding, pests, cold snaps, crop failures, etc., that plague the farming business. Without such support, farmers could not sustain themselves.
Government subsidies should be looked at as insurance.
The U.S. does the same thing. Without subsidies, food production would stop.
Taxpayers fund this, and they are happy to do so, to guarantee food is on their shelves at the grocery.
Fresh, healthy food? So, no glyphosate, chlormequat, or any other toxic or potentially toxic pesticides and herbicides? I doubt it.
Lots of businesses are expensive and unpredictable. Insurance companies exist to insure against the worst of these unpredictable events.
The United States didn't have agricultural subsides until 1933 and I don't remember great grandma talking about any mass die offs due to famine and no farmers growing food.
Government subsidies should be looked at as corporate welfare and meddling in free markets. Insurance should be looked at as insurance.
I would be just fine if the USDA said we should have a national food storage program and bought certain key agricultural commodities for long term storage. And in the event of a massive glut or price collapse that program could pay a fair price that would ensure farmers could continue to farm. And of the flip side if they were large shortages they could sell products beyond a two year minimum storage per US citizen at market rates.
My mother's mother and father were farmers in PA back in the early 1910s-1960s. They raised food crops, plus had an orchard of apple trees and a number of dairy cows and chickens that provided most everything but flour, sugar and salt for the family of 12.
Mom and her 9 siblings all helped as they were able to, in the fields, milking the cows, feeding the chickens, canning the food, drying the herbs, making cheese, jam and ice cream.
Mom told of the time when she was little, there was an early cold snap and most of the local farmers' crops were wiped out, but not Mom's family's. Grandpa was a self-described minister and felt that God had spared their crops for that reason.
As Christmas time was approaching and it was The Depression era, Grandma & Grandpa (with all the kids pitching in) collected up all the harvestable foods, jams & jellies, milk & eggs they could spare and made up little care packages that they then delivered to all their neighbors who would be without food for the holidays, due to the freeze. It was one of her favorite memories. There were no subsidies back then.
Started with protests against big Government overreach.
Morphed into protests demanding big Government keep paying them. Fuck them and everyone that sucks the Government teat.
As I understand it, the farmers in Germany provide fresh, healthy food for the masses at a reasonable cost. The farming business is expensive and unpredictable. The government provides a guaranteed subsidy so that the hard-working farmers are able to withstand unexpected issues like drought, flooding, pests, cold snaps, crop failures, etc., that plague the farming business. Without such support, farmers could not sustain themselves.
Government subsidies should be looked at as insurance.
The U.S. does the same thing. Without subsidies, food production would stop.
Taxpayers fund this, and they are happy to do so, to guarantee food is on their shelves at the grocery.
Fresh, healthy food? So, no glyphosate, chlormequat, or any other toxic or potentially toxic pesticides and herbicides? I doubt it.
Lots of businesses are expensive and unpredictable. Insurance companies exist to insure against the worst of these unpredictable events.
The United States didn't have agricultural subsides until 1933 and I don't remember great grandma talking about any mass die offs due to famine and no farmers growing food.
Government subsidies should be looked at as corporate welfare and meddling in free markets. Insurance should be looked at as insurance.
I would be just fine if the USDA said we should have a national food storage program and bought certain key agricultural commodities for long term storage. And in the event of a massive glut or price collapse that program could pay a fair price that would ensure farmers could continue to farm. And of the flip side if they were large shortages they could sell products beyond a two year minimum storage per US citizen at market rates.
My mother's mother and father were farmers in PA back in the early 1910s-1960s. They raised food crops, plus had an orchard of apple trees and a number of dairy cows and chickens that provided most everything but flour, sugar and salt for the family of 12.
Mom and her 9 siblings all helped as they were able to, in the fields, milking the cows, feeding the chickens, canning the food, drying the herbs, making cheese, jam and ice cream.
Mom told of the time when she was little, there was an early cold snap and most of the local farmers' crops were wiped out, but not Mom's family's. Grandpa was a self-described minister and felt that God had spared their crops for that reason.
As Christmas time was approaching and it was The Depression era, Grandma & Grandpa (with all the kids pitching in) collected up all the harvestable foods, jams & jellies, milk & eggs they could spare and made up little care packages that they then delivered to all their neighbors who would be without food for the holidays, due to the freeze. It was one of her favorite memories. There were no subsidies back then.