What Are U.S. Farm Subsidies and Why Do They Matter

Farm subsidies, also known as agricultural subsidies, are payments and other kinds of support extended by the U.S. federal government to certain farmers and agribusinesses. While some people consider this aide vital to the U.S. economy, others consider the subsidies to be a form of corporate welfare. The Case for Subsidies The original intent of U.S. farm subsidies was to provide economic stability to farmers during the Great Depression to ensure a steady domestic food supply for Americans. In 1930, according to the USDA Census of Agriculture Historical Archive, nearly 25 percent of the population, or roughly 30,000,000 people, lived on the nations nearly 6.5 million farms and ranches. By 2012 (the most recent USDA census), that number had dwindled to about 3 million people living on 2.1  million farms. The 2017 census is predicted to indicate even lower numbers. These numbers assume its more difficult than ever to make a living farming, hence the necessity of subsidies, according to proponents. Farming a Booming Business? That does not necessarily mean that farming isnt profitable, According to an April 1, 2011, Washington Post  article: The Agriculture Department projects net farm income of $94.7 billion in 2011, up almost 20 percent over the previous year and the second-best year for farm income since 1976. Indeed, the department notes that the top five earnings years out of the past 30 have occurred since 2004. The most recent numbers, however, are not as rosy.  Net farm income for 2018 is predicted to be the lowest since  2009, down to  $59.5 billion, a $4.3 billion decrease from  2018. Yearly Farm Subsidy Payments The U.S. government presently pays about $25  billion in cash annually to farmers and owners of farmland. Congress legislates the number of farm subsidies typically through five-year farm bills. The last, The Agricultural Act of 2014 (the Act), also known as the 2014 Farm Bill, was signed by President Obama on Feb. 7, 2014. Like its predecessors, the 2014 farm bill was derided as bloated pork-barrel politics by a plethora of Congress members, both liberals, and conservatives, who hail from non-farming communities and states. However, the powerful farm industry lobby and members of Congress from agriculture-heavy states won out.   Who Benefits Most From Farm Subsidies? According to the Cato Institute, the largest 15 percent of farm businesses receive  85 percent of the subsidies.   The Environmental Working Group, a database that  tracks $349 billion in farm subsidies paid between 1995 and 2016 backs these statistics up. While the general public may believe that the majority of subsidies go to helping small family operations,  the primary beneficiaries are instead the largest producers of commodities like corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and rice: Despite the rhetoric of preserving the family farm, the vast majority of farmers do not benefit from federal farm subsidy programs and most of the subsidies go to the largest and most financially secure farm operations. Small commodity farmers qualify for a mere pittance, while producers of meat, fruits, and vegetables are almost completely left out of the subsidy game. From 1995 through 2016, reports the Environmental  Working Group, seven states received the lions share  of subsidies, nearly 45 percent of all benefits paid to farmers. Those states and their respective shares of total U.S. farm subsidies were: Texas - 9.6%Iowa - 8.4%Illinois - 6.9%Minnesota - 5.8%Nebraska - 5.7%Kansas - 5.5%North Dakota - 5.3% Arguments for Ending Farm Subsidies Representatives on both sides of the aisle, in particular, those concerned with growing  federal budget deficits, decry these subsidies as nothing more than corporate giveaways. Even though the 2014 farm bill limits the amount paid to a person who is actively engaged in farming to $125,000, in  reality, reports the Environmental Working Group, Large and complex farm organizations have consistently found ways to avoid these limits. Furthermore, many political pundits believe that subsidies actually harm both farmers and consumers. Says Chris Edwards, writing for the blog Downsizing the Federal Government: Subsidies inflate land prices in rural America. And the flow of subsidies from Washington hinders farmers from innovating, cutting costs, diversifying their land use, and taking the actions needed to prosper in a competitive global economy.   Even the historically liberal New York Times has called the system a joke and a slush fund.  Although writer Mark Bittman advocates for reforming the subsidies, not ending them, his scathing assessment of the system in 2011 still stings today:   That the current system is a joke is barely arguable: wealthy growers are paid even in good years, and may receive drought aid when there’s no drought. It’s become so bizarre that some homeowners lucky enough to have bought land that once grew rice now have subsidized lawns. Fortunes have been paid to Fortune 500 companies and even gentlemen farmers like David Rockefeller. Thus even House Speaker Boehner calls the bill a slush fund.

Managed Care Philosophy and Initiatives Directed at...

Introduction. Managed health care is a system that is used to control the financing and the method of delivery of healthcare services to those individuals who are enrolled is specific types of healthcare plans such as Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO) and Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO). Managed healthcare main goal is to ensure that the care that is received by the patient is not just routinely done so that the providers are making a high profit but to ensure that providers are delivery a high quality of care that is also cost effective. Managed care philosophy and initiatives directed at prevention and health maintenance within the managed health care. The manage care philosophy was designed with the intent of placing†¦show more content†¦With such major scare the local hospital and the Department of Health launched a collaborative program to increase influenza vaccine coverage in the community. This was done by increasing the number of individual that were vaccinated which would result in a close moderation of the severity of lower respiratory tract illness during the winter season. To accomplish this however certain procedure will have to be in place for example to public needs to be aware of the providers intent and plan of action have to be in place to enhance the delivery of the vaccine. The steps taken to improve quality. It is important steps are taken to increase the rates of immunization while ensuring a safe delivery. The immunization records should be maintained at least at federal level for a long period of time. It is believed that the introduction of the point-of-service data entry there was a big increase in the quality of immunization. There was also an introduction of an automated immunization due reminder and a monthly report to several providers on the patient’s immunization status. There was also a comparison of the immunization rate per provider. Several programs were put in place to ensure that vaccination is delivered to as many individual asShow MoreRelatedNanotech 1AC Essay13565 Words   |  55 PagesRegulation of Nanotechnology,† 03/12/2012, http://www.tierramerica.info/nota.php?lang=engidnews=3920olt=568, AC) MEXICO CITY, Mar 12 (Tierramà ©rica).- Nanotechnology, which is currently unregulated in Mexico, could pose serious threats to human health and the environment, cautions a new study. Far from a policy of precaution vis-à  -vis these new technologies, products are entering the market without regulation to guarantee their safety or labels to inform of their use, researcher Guillermo FoladoriRead More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 Pagesof the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching in 1986. He was a regional winner of the IBM Com- Contents 1 The Role of Statistics and the Data Analysis Process 1.1 Three Reasons to Study Statistics 1 1.2 The Nature and Role of Variability 4 1.3 Statistics and the Data Analysis Process 7 1.4 Types of Data and Some Simple Graphical Displays 12 Activity 1.1 Head Sizes: Understanding Variability 22 Activity 1.2 Estimating Sizes 23 Activity 1.3 A Meaningful Paragraph

Storytelling Free Essays

STORYTELLING: LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD Storytelling  is a universal, traditional art form, that has featured strongly in all cultures as an effective communication tool. Important messages can be so skilfully conveyed through storytelling, as the listener is so entranced by the magic images the storyteller paints before your eyes. And it is in this way that we as educators of young children can promote their learning. We will write a custom essay sample on Storytelling or any similar topic only for you Order Now We have finished to do storytelling as one of our task given. The topic that our group chosen are Little Red Riding Hood. According from characters in that story, there are five character in that story. So our group consists five person in group are divide that each of characters. They are Little Red Riding Hood as main characters, mothers’s Little Red Riding Hood, grandmother, wolf, and woodsman. We also add narrator in our storytelling. The scripts we are use according to the each of scene in that story. Before we started our storytelling we have search some information in internet about this story. As we know Little Red riding Hood is the most favourite fairy tales story among children. Eventhough it is ages, but until now the story is still famous as activity in classroom. Our group have selection of material to show for each characters in that story. for example we have choose puppet act as narrator. Then we had print in colour the image each of the characters. Then our group put the image paper on the stick that we had bought. As conclusion storytelling is one of activity in classroom its well-suited for student exploration. As a learning tool, storytelling can encourage students to explore their unique expressiveness and can heighten a student’s ability to communicate thoughts and feelings in an articulate. Besides that, throgh storytelling is can gaining verbal skills, imagination which developing the imagination can empower students to consider new and inventive ideas. Developing the imagination can contribute to self-confidence and personal motivation as students envision themselves competent and able to accomplish their hopes and dreams. How to cite Storytelling, Papers

Deconstruction of Communalism Diversity †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Deconstruction of Communalism Diversity. Answer: Introduction: In the era of globalization and multiculturalism culturally diverse group is not only significant for workforce diversity but a great opportunity of assembling language skills, varied perspective and thought process and skills into the project. In a complex project this would be advantageous for the culmination of varied attitudes and skills to achieve better productivity in the project (Harvey Allard, 2015). As it is with varied group belonging from different cultural background, people will bring into the project multiple perspectives that would foster the innovative angle of the project. Any complex project should never adhere to one stereotyped or clichd idea, but should venture out to include more. This could be achieved by taking into consideration multiple perceptions and voices with the help of an enhanced communicational method. The amalgamation of different perspectives would help in increased productivity and faster resolution of complex issues (Harvey Allard, 2015). One of the many challenges of assisting project internationally is to implement strategies in proper synchronization with other communities and their cultural beliefs. Communal discontent is one of the burning issues today, some of the practices are moreover threatened by globalization. As a PM it becomes indeed difficult to strike a proper balance in introducing major policies and challenges in a progressive manner without hurting the sentiments of people at large (Singh, 2017). Another crisis while looking after international projects could be planning an effective budgeting which could be affected by the economy of the other countries thereby resulting in financial depletion and unnecessary expenses. While assisting international projects is unforeseen expenses and lack of collaboration on the part of the countries to come to a negotiation (Lynch, 2017). As far as my opinion is concerned, assisting projects internationally requires a very able project management team who would be able to predict possible time loss, financial instability, and lack of co-ordination in time schedules while completing the work (Beck, 2018). People who are connected with the project, positioning lower in the hierarchy of power often faces communicational hindrances due to lack of education and communication skills. As a PM responding to all these circumstances is a matter of time and money. Hiring experienced management team can eradicate the problems. Reference List: Beck, U. (2018).What is globalization?. John Wiley Sons. Harvey, C. P., Allard, M. (2015).Understanding and managing diversity: Readings, cases, and exercises. Pearson. Lynch, F. R. (2017).The diversity machine: The drive to change the white male workplace. Routledge. Singh, N. K. (2017). Mahesh Dattani's Final Solutions: Deconstruction of Communalism.International Journal on Multicultural Literature,7(2).