Farm Subsidies - A Necessary Evil? Subsidies are payments, economic concessions, or privileges given by the government to favor businesses or consumers. In the 1930s, subsidies were designed to favor agriculture. John Steinbeck expressed his dislike of the farm subsidy system of the United States in his book, The Grapes of Wrath. In that book, the government gave money to farms so that they would grow and sell a certain amount of crops. As a result, Steinbeck argued, many people starved unnecessarily. Steinbeck examined farm subsidies from a personal level, showing how they hurt the common man. Subsidies have a variety of other problems, both on the micro and macro level, that should not be ignored. Despite their benefits, farm subsidies are an inefficient and dysfunctional part of our economic system. The problems of the American farmer arose in the 1920s, and various methods were introduced to help solve them. The United States still disagrees on how to solve the continuing problem of agricultural overproduction. In 1916, the number of people living on farms was at its maximum at 32,530,000. Most of these farms were relatively small (Reische 51). Technological advances in the 1920's brought a variety of effects. The use of machinery increased productivity while reducing the need for as many farm laborers. The industrial boom of the 1920s drew many workers off the farm and into the cities. Machinery, while increasing productivity, was very expensive. Demand for food, though, stayed relatively constant (Long 85). As a result of this, food prices went down. The small farmer was no longer able to compete, lacking the capital to buy productive machinery. Small farms lost their practicality, and many farmers were forced to consolidate to compete. Fewer, larger farms resulted (Reische 51). During the Depression, unemployment grew while income shrank. "An extended drought had aggravated the farm problem during the 1930s (Reische 52)." Congress, to counter this, passed price support legislation to assure a profit to the farmers. The Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1936 allowed the government to limit acreage use for certain soil-depleting crops. The Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 allowed the government to set the minimum price and amount sold of a good at the market. The Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, farmers were given price supports for not growing crops. These allowed farmers to mechanize, which was necessary because of the scarcity of farm labor during World War II (Reische 52). During World War II, demand for food increased, and farmers enjoyed a period of general prosperity (Reische 52). In 1965, the government reduced surplus by getting farmers to set aside land for soil conservation (Blanpied 121). The Agricultural Act of 1970 gave direct payments to farmers to set aside some of their land (Patterson 129). The 1973 farm bill lowered aid to farmers by lowering the target income for price supports. The 1970s were good years for farmers. Wheat and corn prices tripled, land prices doubled, and farm exports outstripped imports by twenty-four billion dollars (Long 88). Under the Carter administration, farm support was minimized. Competition from foreign markets, like Argentina, lowered prices and incomes (Long 88). Ronald Reagan wanted to wean the farm community from government support. Later on in his administration, though, he started the Payments In Kind policy, in which the government paid farmers not to grow major crops. Despite these various efforts, farms continue to deal with the problems that rose in the 1920s. Farm subsidies seem to have benefits for the small farmer. "Each year since 1947, there has been a net out-migration of farm people (Reische 53)." American farm production has tripled since 1910 while employment has fallen eighty percent (Long 82). Small family farms have the lowest total family incomes (Long 83). Farming is following a trend from many small farms to a few large farms. Competition among farmers has increased supply faster than demand. New seed varieties, better pest control, productive machinery, public investments in irrigation and transportation, and better management will increase farm output. The resulting oversupply of farm products, which creates a low profit margin, drives smaller farms out of business. Smaller farms lack the capital and income to buy the machinery they need to compete with larger farms (Long 85). Many see this tendency towards consolidation and mechanization of farms to be harmful to the United States in the long run, and they see subsidies as a way of achieving a social desire to preserve the family farm. "If the family farm represents anything, it's a very intimate and fundamental relationship between people and resources (MacFadyen 138)." Fewer farms mean fewer jobs and a higher concentration of wealth. Ten 30,000-acre farms may produce as much food as a hundred 3000-acre farms, but the former supports machinery; the latter, community (MacFadyen 138). Farm subsidies are designed to prevent the extinction of the small farmer. Despite the social benefits, subsidies have many problems. The subsidy system is often wasteful; the government finances irrigation systems in the California Imperial Valley, and then pays farmers not to grow crops on it (Solkoff 27). Some benefits hurt the small farmer. Marketing orders and tax breaks hurt small operators by giving more money to bigger farms. Big farms can then overproduce and undersell using advanced machinery, driving lesser farms out of business (Fox 28). Subsidies also allow foreign markets to become competitive by artificially raising market prices (Long 91). Artificially raising market prices create a surplus that would normally be solved by the free market system. In a theoretical free market, overproduction would drive excess farms out of business, until equilibrium would establish itself for both price and quantity of farm products. Subsidies allow inefficient farms to continue to exist, which creates an inefficient economic system. Subsidies also increase the cost of other consumer products, while also increasing taxes to pay for them. Perhaps most importantly, subsidies do not fulfill their social role. "About 112,000 large farms-- equivalent to the number of farms in Minnesota alone-- produce half the nation's food and fiber (Long 82)." The many government subsidy policies do not preserve the family farm, and the number of small farms has almost continuously been on the decline. Subsidies are impractical in the economic and the social aspects.Despite perceived benefits, farm subsidies are an inefficient and dysfunctional part of our economic system. Their goal, nonetheless, is noble. Writers like John Steinbeck made people aware of the plight of the small farmer, and subsidies were the only solution he government could think of. If there is some way to prevent the decline of small farms that does not carry the many subsidy problems, the agricultural policy would undoubtedly change. Perhaps the same anti-trust laws that prevented the monopolizing of industry could be used to prevent the consolidation of farms. Until some other system is developed that can deal with the problems of the farmer, subsidies will continue to be used. Works Cited Blanpied, Nancy. Farm Policy. Congressional Quarterly: Washington D.C., 1984. Fox, Michael. Agricide. Schoken Books: New York, 1986. Long, Robert Emmet. The Farm Crisis. Wilson Co.: New York, 1987. MacFadyen, J. Tevere. Gaining Ground. Holt, Reinhart, and Winston: New York, 1966. Reische, Diana. U.S. Agricultural Policy. Wilson Co.: New York, 1966. Solkoff, Joel. The Politics of Food. Sierra Club Books: San Francisco, 1985.
One of the ironies of Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath was that, as Ma Joad said, "If your in trouble or hurt or need -- go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help -- the only ones."(pg 335) The irony is that if you need something you have to go to the people who have nothing.
When times get tough, many people turn away from everyone and everything. It must be part of human nature to adopt an independent attitude when faced with troubles. It is understandable because most people do not want to trouble their loved ones when they are going through problems, so it is easier to turn away than stick together. Maybe their family is going through a rough patch and they reason they would be better off on their own. This path of independence and solitude may not always be the best option for them or their family, though. Often times it is more beneficial for everyone to work through the problem together. It is not always the easiest or most desirable option, but most times it is the most efficient and it will get results in the long run. In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck makes this point very clear through several characters. Many characters throughout
Romeo and Juliet is a famous play that was first performed between 1594 and 1595, it was first printed in 1597. Romeo and Juliet is not entirely fictional as it is based on two lovers who lived in Verona. The Montague’s and Capulet’s are also real. Romeo and Juliet is one of the ten tragedies that William Shakespeare wrote. In this essay, I aim to investigate what act 1, scene1 makes you expect about the rest of the play.
In The Grapes of Wrath the author, John Steinbeck, presents religion in several ways including the fanaticism of the Sin Watchers, Jim Casy’s parallel character to Jesus Christ, and through the use of symbolism throughout the novel. Through these methods, Steinbeck weaves a web in which religion is presented as a double-edged blade; one can go to the path of being truly a devout, kind person, or one can choose the path of zealously, condemning all who would oppose or go against their views.
Steinbeck's intercalary chapters in The Grapes of Wrath have nothing to do with the Joads or other characters of the novel, but help describe the story in different terms. They are similar to poems, offering different viewpoints of the migration, and clarifying parts of the story that the reader might not understand. An excellent example of this use can be seen in chapter 21, where an examination of the attitudes of migrant Okies and the residents of California reveals the changing nature of land ownership among the changing population of California and gives greater meaning to the fierce hostility that the Joads meet in California.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck had many comparisons from the movie and the book. In 1939, this story was to have some of the readers against the ones that kept the American people in poverty held responsible for their actions. This unique story was about the Joad’s family, who were migrant workers looking for a good decent job. They were also farmers from Oklahoma that are now striving to find some good work and success for their family in California. This novel was one of Steinbeck’s best work he has ever done. It was in fact an Academy Award movie in 1940. Both the movie and the novel are one of Steinbeck’s greatest masterpieces on both the filmmaking and the novel writing. Both the novel and film are mainly the same in the beginning of the story and towards the end. There were some few main points that Steinbeck took out from the book and didn’t mention them in the movie. “The Grapes of Wrath is a
Thomas Paine was one of the great supporters of the American Revolution. He was a journalist and used his pen and paper to urge the public to break free from Great Brittan. He wrote anonymously, yet addressed the public as he spoke out about his beliefs. The first pamphlet he published, influencing independence from Brittan, was called Common Sense
Chimpanzees portray their emotions through a number of facial expressions and mannerisms. Just like humans, they undergo mood swings, jealous rages, and laughter. For instance, Goodall observed during her research that a male gorilla “would threaten [me] with an upward and backward movement jerk of his head…” Some of their emotions are easy to read, while at other times we have to look at multiple places on their faces to understand their feelings. A chimpanzee also uses its facial expressions and sounds to communicate with each other, such as hoots and yells.
The Dramatic Contribution of Lord Capulet, Romeo and Tybalt in Act 1 Scene 5 of Romeo & Juliet
Certain statements made by Pope John Paul II in his commentary on the lasting significance of the papal encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” resonate in a highly spiritual plane, others a highly earthly one, and others in both at once. I would posit that this integrated place is of utmost significance to a sound doctrine of social justice in society, with which both documents are highly concerned. The current pope most clearly states the intertwining of the spiritual and physical needs of the human being when he says that “the Church's social teaching is itself a valid instrument of evangelization ” and “reveals man to himself” (John Paul II, 78). Like Pope John Paul II, I understand the social doctrine of the Church as more than an opportunity to show others how good God is and how much they need the spiritual salvation that comes from this same God's goodness. I believe in God's goodness, God is content to care for God's created and beloved children through fostering the practice of justice and peace as integral threads in the tapestry of all ...
Jesus gave us the Beatitudes to instruct all people to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the imprisoned, etc. Their mission is also intertwined with the corporal works of mercy. The corporal works of mercy refer to the physical body of another. We are called to provide for those who cannot provide for themselves. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is dedicated to rehabilitating families in the local community by providing quality meals, clothing, housing, and spiritual healing. These families may have experienced violence, are homeless, and are unjustly oppressed by the surrounding individuals. The Society provides medical care, food boxes, and general care. Jesus commanded that we serve the least of God’s people. He gave us the Beatitudes as instructions that we are to abide by. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is putting Jesus’s words into
Industrial farming also called factory farming is a type of farming where lots of animals live in small closed areas with harsh living conditions in order to produce lots of meats, eggs, or milk really cheap. Industrial farming produces a lot of food. According to 8 Foremost Pros and Cons Factory Farming, “This agricultural method creates a farming system that is profit-based and provides human populations with the right amount of calories they need every day to live and survive.” Industrial farming creates many job opportunities. According to 8 Foremost Pros and Cons Factory Farming, “Considering that factory farming requires huge operations, there is also a need for a huge number of people to work on it. The industry definitely offers a wide variety of job opportunities, as well as economic stimulation, to regions that are in desperate need of this kind of help.” A disadvantage is there are many risks factory farming. According to Factory Farming Pros and Cons List, “The manner in which intensive farms are managed, the way livestock is handled or even mistreated at times do tantamount to animal cruelty. Livestock on intensive farms don’t die due to viral attacks or infections since they are vaccinated, but they undergo a rapid growth cycle in very challenging circumstances for them, which stress them and they often die from heart attacks.” Another disadvantage is industrial farming is not good for the environment. According to Factory Farming
A farm can be very expensive but it can also be very profitable. Farming is like a gamblers game, you can win or you can lose and become bankrupt. Most farmers do come out on top and can be very successful. But sometimes it’s not for all. Ready to take that gamble?
As poor farmers generally posses less land, they are more often engaged in off farm activities such as petty trade. This can decrease their interest to invest on soil conservation practices. According to (Hagos et al., 1999), small farm holdings and land fragmentation may undermine farmers’ interest in undertaking some kind of land improvement. For example, farmers may find the cost of hauling manure or other organic materials to distant and small plots not worth the considerable effort required. In addition, investment that can be easily damaged by free ranging livestock or subject to theft (such as trees) are less likely to be made far from the household where it is different to protect
Farming has been around many centuries. It has advanced slowly over the centuries with the help of technology. In the last twenty years, farming practices have taken a major turn. Technology has advanced to a point where it allows farmers not to be present in the machine while it is performing a task. Many farming tasks are running off of cell phones and computers away from the area where the tractor is located, which not in sight of the farmer. While it seems beneficial to agriculture, technology that allows farmers to complete tasks without even being present actually damages the industry. The cost of the technology that runs the machines has made it impossible for many smaller farmers to purchase it. In many ways the technology has helped the Ag industry, but there are many negatives to it, too. Technology is replacing many jobs. Jobs that used to take multiple people now require just one – someone to program and operate the computer. Drones have also taken over many jobs that used to require many people.