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Article: FARM BILL BOTH BAD AND GOOD.(OPINION)(GUEST COLUMN)(Column)
- Article from:
- The Capital Times
- Article date:
- June 10, 2008
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Capital Newspapers. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Margaret Krome
The 2008 farm bill was the fourth such bill on which I've worked, but the first when I've had neighbors and friends express opinions. It was refreshing to hear eaters, taxpayers, parents of children who eat lunch at school, fans of rural landscapes, and frequent customers at farmers' markets accept their relationship to this massive piece of legislation. I wasn't surprised that mostly I heard criticisms.
I especially heard frustration with the failure to reform commodity farm payment programs. These programs are intended to help farmers through hard times when prices are low. But the system of payments has long been criticized for ...