Can Americas farmers be weaned from their government money?
JUST over four years ago, in May 2002, Congress passed the farm bill, a gargantuan, five-year giveaway to America’s farmers. And in one of the more spineless moments of his presidency George Bush, a self-professed free-trader, signed it. Over the next year, Congress will produce a new farm bill. Conventional wisdom holds that it will be much like the last, particularly since the Doha trade talks (which would have required subsidy reform) have collapsed. The American Farm Bureau, a big farmers’ lobby group, is pushing for a simple extension of today’s subsidies. With the 2008 presidential election looming, it is argued, no politician dare disagree. That logic may be wrong. America’s system of supporting farmers may well change next year, though it will not necessarily get much better. Mike Johanns, Mr Bush’s farm minister, says he wants reform and has promised to come up with specific proposals by January 2007. Individual congressmen are drawing up their own visions for change. Ron Kind
