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Farm subsidies make us have less diversity in our diet because only a certain short list of crops are insured. America makes way too much corn and soybeans, and

Farm subsidies make us have less diversity in our diet because only a certain short list of crops are insured. America makes way too much corn and soybeans, and we should be using that land for something else that could create more value. Not mentioned how soy and high fructose corn syrup get shoved into every food item because of these. Farm subsidies are anti-capitalist. Milk is a perfect example of how this is an issue, I can get a gallon of milk for about 2 dollars in the USA. It should cost about 8 dollars. The cost difference is made up by farm subsidies. There are many cheaper ways to get the nutritional value provided by milk, but the US government is choking these industries out. If the free market were to decide milk would not be a beverage and only used for cooking because it would be impractical to drink. I am all for a safety net for farmers, but the farm subsidies need major restructuring with the American consumer and the small farmer in mind, instead of the farm industry and the profits of some of the biggest corporations in the world.

jdhn 7y ago
>It should cost about 8 dollars 8 bucks? I know that farm subsidies drive down costs, but a 4x increase seems quite high to me.
- frankbreetz 7y ago
  I'll be honest this was just a guess, I know milk has been driven down a lot lately by almond milk, oat milk, and other alternative kinds of milk. But an initial google search indicates, I am not too far off: https://www.realagriculture.com/2018/02/u-s-dairy-subsidies-equal-73-percent-of-producer-returns-says-new-report/ https://www.realagriculture.com/2018/02/u-s-dairy-subsidies-...
- germinalphrase 7y ago
  In trade negotiations, the Canadians argued that 73 percent of returns to milk producers in the US are governmental subsidies, but not sure how that squares with the store price.
  - jdhn 7y ago
    I'm willing to bet that even if farm subsidies went away, the price would at most double. Milk is really popular, and there's no way that supermarkets would let one of their highest volume products soar up in price like that.
Scoundreller 7y ago
Canada has a stupid system of high milk prices to keep legacy dairy farmers in business (quota system). With that, 4L of pasteurized fresh milk (in bags) costs CAD$4.39 retail, or a little over US$3.25 It might be a slight loss leader for grocery stores, but that’s the price when governments ensure farmers get a “fair” (high) price without direct subsidies. It’s still a very stupid system because it’s incredibly regressive.
- dorfsmay 7y ago
  You are saying that the previous poster's estimation of 8 USD/Gallon (3.785) without subsidies is not realistic and far too high?
  - Scoundreller 7y ago
    Yes.
krastanov 7y ago
You are way off in your guess about the cost! According to the study you yourself linked in another comment, the subsidies are $12.06 per cental, which is 26cents per quart. The subsidies are a big part of the margin though (3/4 of it).
gbrown 7y ago
We have a CSA with a vegetable farmer. It's crazy how many government programs are just unavailable to her, which she'd have access to if she grew corn. For example, this spring we had tons of really heavy rain and she lost a potato crop. No crop insurance available, that's $ straight out of pocket.

jdhn 7y ago

>It should cost about 8 dollars 8 bucks? I know that farm subsidies drive down costs, but a 4x increase seems quite high to me.

frankbreetz 7y ago
I'll be honest this was just a guess, I know milk has been driven down a lot lately by almond milk, oat milk, and other alternative kinds of milk. But an initial google search indicates, I am not too far off: https://www.realagriculture.com/2018/02/u-s-dairy-subsidies-equal-73-percent-of-producer-returns-says-new-report/ https://www.realagriculture.com/2018/02/u-s-dairy-subsidies-...
germinalphrase 7y ago
In trade negotiations, the Canadians argued that 73 percent of returns to milk producers in the US are governmental subsidies, but not sure how that squares with the store price.
- jdhn 7y ago
  I'm willing to bet that even if farm subsidies went away, the price would at most double. Milk is really popular, and there's no way that supermarkets would let one of their highest volume products soar up in price like that.

Scoundreller 7y ago

Canada has a stupid system of high milk prices to keep legacy dairy farmers in business (quota system). With that, 4L of pasteurized fresh milk (in bags) costs CAD$4.39 retail, or a little over US$3.25 It might be a slight loss leader for grocery stores, but that’s the price when governments ensure farmers get a “fair” (high) price without direct subsidies. It’s still a very stupid system because it’s incredibly regressive.

dorfsmay 7y ago
You are saying that the previous poster's estimation of 8 USD/Gallon (3.785) without subsidies is not realistic and far too high?
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  Yes.

krastanov 7y ago

You are way off in your guess about the cost! According to the study you yourself linked in another comment, the subsidies are $12.06 per cental, which is 26cents per quart. The subsidies are a big part of the margin though (3/4 of it).

gbrown 7y ago

We have a CSA with a vegetable farmer. It's crazy how many government programs are just unavailable to her, which she'd have access to if she grew corn. For example, this spring we had tons of really heavy rain and she lost a potato crop. No crop insurance available, that's $ straight out of pocket.