Congress and the administration are engaged in a bitter fight over a $1.5 billion assistance package for farmers that senators tucked into a $109 billion war and hurricane-recovery spending bill last week. The new subsidy — aimed at mitigating the impact of severe weather conditions and rising energy prices — would primarily help farmers in the Midwest and Southeast who already get subsidies from the federal government for growing crops such as wheat, grain, rice and corn. (International Herald Tribune, Friday)
How can farmers be expected to anticipate such unprecedented phenomena as severe weather and rising costs?
FEE Timely Classic
What Do Farmers Want from Me? by Russell Roberts