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Farm program spending will be scrutinized
Money spent on federal farm programs is frequently questioned by some members of Congress and the non-farming public—and that scrutiny is likely to intensify when budget-cutting talks resume in Washington in September.
However, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says a lot of Congressmen and women may be surprised at how little is actually spent on farm programs.
“I think it’s important for people to recognize—you could do away with all the farm programs and you’re not going to solve the budget problem,” Vilsack says. “I think there’s a misunderstanding that somehow the farm programs are as large as some of these other issues.”
Record farm income may also make it tougher to defend farm programs. But Iowa Corn Growers Association president Dean Taylor says there’s more to that story.
“We might have $7 corn, but the last time we had $7 corn, we had $3.50 corn about six months later—but we still had the expenses that had ratcheted up with $7 corn,” says Taylor.
Vilsack and Taylor made their comments Friday at the Iowa State Fair.
AUDIO: Tom Vilsack answering reporter’s questions at IA State Fair (3:06 MP3)
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