Agricultural Policy

By David H. Krikorian

Agriculture is central to the Ohio economy. Here are some policies I would like to fight for

- A comprehensive agriculture export-policy which promotes strong farm prices

- Local food production/distribution by promoting family/small business farmers

- Environmentally sound practices including soil conservation and pollution prevention

Agricultural Prices & Export Markets

US Government Agriculture policy for the past several decades has focused on subsidies and neo-liberal free-trade agreements. These policies have weakened farm prices hurting small farmers at the expense of major agribusiness while overall farm export production has remained flat and real farm incomes have declined.

Weak farm prices have greatly benefited agribusiness and feed lot operators by holding prices below what the market would otherwise bear without interference. Existing policies have engendered massive consolidation which in turn have generated fatter profit for agribusiness.

Weak farm prices have also had a major negative impact on world farm prices causing a mass-migration away from small farms in developing nations. This is one factor in America's immigration challenge. Our policies have in part forced farmers in poor countries off their land, which in turn has contributed to the illegal immigration problem in the United States.

US Agriculture policy should strive for an equitable balance between large and small farming operations. In pursuing strong farm prices, small business and family farms would become more profitable enterprises creating employment and diversifying our food producer/distributor supply chain, which has become highly dependent on a small number of large firms.

One proposal is for Congress to enable the USDA to develop a strong export market that works for producers of all sizes instead of leaving the market to the manipulations of a few large agribusinesses. We must balance the pursuit of growth and profit with that of the national interest.

Small Business & Family Farms

According to the USDA, the number of farms in the US has declined from nearly 5.5 million in 1950 to less than 2 million today. While there are several factors that have contributed to this decline, a major factor has been weak farm prices leading to consolidation. Another factor has also been the development and control of the seed business by major corporate players who have succeeded in creating genetically modified seeds that must be purchased by farmers each year violating the age-old practice of saving seeds from one year to the next.

An additional challenge for family farmers is inheritance tax when one generation passes a farm on to the next. This inheritance tax is often substantial and has forced many farmers to sell out in order to pay taxes. This is clearly a destructive tax and should be eliminated or substantially reduced in order to mitigate the effect on family farms.

A major beneficiary of pro-small business and family farm policies are the people who would enjoy greater access to farm fresh produce at the local grocer and through the resurgence of farmers markets. Local produce is, on balance, healthier for consumers.

Environmental Issues

Fertile Soil is one of our most precious national resources and we should do all we can to ensure that we employ strategies that prevent erosion and chemical alteration by overuse, acidification and other forms of contamination.

National policies should be enacted which promote various techniques such as no till farming and the use of natural fertilizer to ensure rich productive soil for future generations of Americans.