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Article: Grudgingly, farmers take more aid: The farm bill crafted Friday in Congress offers record subsidies, but few fixes for an ailing agricultural economy.(USA)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- April 29, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Christian Science Publishing Society. 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: Laurent Belsie Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
SPRINGFIELD, ILL. -- Spring is the most hopeful season in agriculture. American farmers move into their fields to fertilize and plant. But this year, hope seems in short supply.
Instead, a general gloom has set in across the Midwest. Low crop prices, increasing workloads, growing dependence on farm subsidies, and an uncertain future have created the general ennui. Rarely have farmers endured hard times for so long and with so little prospect for improvement.
In Washington, congressional leaders have agreed on a mammoth farm bill that - with a 70 percent increase in ...