Sunshine... taxpayer funded farm subsidies in Elk County, KS

[Varmit]

This is what Varmit posted!! Tell me what he means then!!

What I mean is that my taxes would be lower if they didn't go towards paying a failing farmer or rancher, that cannot make a living farming or ranching.  If said farmer/rancher fails then so be it.  Money that is taken out of my paycheck shouldn't go towards bailing them out.  As for selling or making $400. for an odd job or such, that isn't the same.  I earned that money, it isn't a handout taken from someone else.

[Wilma]

I don't know and I don't have any way of looking it up now, but aren't the subsidies that are paid to farmers and ranchers considered income that is as taxable as the income that they earn in their business?  I have never done a tax return for a farmer that received subsidies, but would one of you who knows, please answer this question.

Varmit, did you report that on your income tax return as income?

[thatsMRSc2u]

Wilma this is from Financialweb @ finweb.com..........

"Farm subsidies are provided by the federal government in order to help farmers level out their incomes and avoid the impact of wild price swings in the market. However, even though the federal government is giving these farmers' money, it is not free money. The money that is taken by the farmers is considered taxable income. This means that they will have to count it as part of the profits from their farms as if they were selling crops at full price. This increases their taxable incomes and the total amounts of taxes that they pay for the year."


they have to file form 1099-G.

Kinda like my opinion of my tax dollars goin to pay for cancer treatment....if it helps a small farmer stay in business GIVE EM MY TAX DOLLARS. The people who are pissin and moanin about farm-subsidies here ALSO piss and moan about the price of groc. etc.. well let CORPORATE FARMING COMPANIES get a monopoly on farm ground and see what havin somethin to piss and moan about REALLY feels like.

[srkruzich]

Interesting.There was a time when honey growers were subsidized. Then it has been sporadic with sometimes loans and sometimes not and other forms of money were available under other headings and names. My one girlfriend had hives for years but gave it up several years ago when she was bedeviled with throat mites and hive collapse. Is there no Gov't money available anymore under any name?  Steve, do you rent any hives out for pollination ? It's a  big business here.

No there is no subsidies for honey.  THey used to take a percentage of the honey crop for welfare distribution ( commodities i think they called it) but that no longer is the case. 

Pollination i'll do if its local. I am not setup for pollination.  Requires a different setup. 

[Anmar]

I think a lot of people are failing to realize several key things.

First: farm subsidies are important towards ensuring that there's always a viable food supply.  Without small family farms, we'd be forced to rely on corporations and imports for food.  If some disaster happened that affected one of these sources, there would be nothing to fall back on without the small farms. 

Second: the farm subsidies are really food subsidies.  If you understand economics, you'll know that without the subsidies, farmers will either have to raise their prices, or go out of business.  Farm subsidies help keep food affordable.

Third: Our government gives hundreds of billions of dollars away in tax incentives and subsidies to huge corporations.  GE's total tax write off is more than all the farm subsidies for all the midwest states combined.  Why do you all want to hate on the family farmers but you don't say a word about GE, big oil, and the financial institutions that the government bailed out. 

I said it before and I'll say it again.  If you want to fix the system, stop sending big corporate politicians to Washington.  You're congressional district sent the one guy in the race that was bought and paid for by big business to Washington, and here you are complaining that there isn't enough money to go around.  Tea party people are screaming for lower taxes on billionaires and large corporations while they get screwed by those same people every day. Wake up. 

[srkruzich]

Tea party people are screaming for lower taxes on billionaires and large corporations while they get screwed by those same people every day. Wake up. 

No they're not. They want govt out of our freaking lives.  NO taxes for aything other than a constitutional government. Period.  That means 50% if not more of government gone!

[redcliffsw]

The playing field is not leveled by the Federal gov't.

Large or small, the Fed's should not be paying moneys to anyone.  That's socialism. 

Farm susbsidies do not ensure food supply and neither does the Federal gov't.

Farm subsidies are not food subsidies.  Food stamps ought to be ceased too.

The gov't gives money to about all of 'em - large and small.  Review who is getting the payments
and you'll discover some pretty big operators on the receiving end of the Fed's farm money.

Cheaper farm produce?  For Whom???  The huge corporations.   Why should corporations (or anyone)
be benefitted by Federal gov't farm subsiidy payments?

Anmar, it seems to me that you once stated that you're related to Jefferson Davis but you
appear very much in line with Abrahma Lincoln and the Republicans and all of their social agenda. 
You're certainly do not seem to be a Jeff Davis man.

[Varmit]

Third: Our government gives hundreds of billions of dollars away in tax incentives and subsidies to huge corporations.  GE's total tax write off is more than all the farm subsidies for all the midwest states combined.  Why do you all want to hate on the family farmers but you don't say a word about GE, big oil, and the financial institutions that the government bailed out. 

Didn't say a word about it because thats not what this thread is about.  Actually, kinda suprised that we've managed to stay on topic for so long.

[Jane]

  Varmit you are 100 % correct, they never stay on one topic.

[RDSchoutenFarms]

Where's this big fancy feed truck and SUV you're speaking of? They sure as hell aren't parked in my garage! My wife and I both drive used pickups. Have 2 Ford F-250 Powerstrokes, one is an 03  and one is an 01. Our feedtruck isn't anything special either, it's an 07 F-350. Before we bought it we had an 86 Chevy. We use what gets the job done. Don't need anything fancy or snappy. Functionality beats out fanciness.

The equipment we run is USED and NOT brand new. Have always run Allis Chalmers original tractors. We manage our finances perfectly.

Come check out our operation and you'll see it's well organized and not a dollars wasted.

As for knowing nothing about ranching, I was born and raised on this ranch. It's been in my family 4 generations now. My wife and father take care of the bookkeeping and finances. IF you want to argue or nit pick on that end, go to them with your arguement.


I think I'll take next year's "WELFARE" check and buy me some big fancy new equipment. Since your money will be funding my purchase, maybe you'd like to accompany me to the dealership, I'll even let ya pick out the color.