Federal Farm Subsidies Need to Be Reassessed
“Subsidy Ruling Shakes State Cotton Farmers” (April 28) should help Californians put our farm economy in perspective. Welfare by any other name remains welfare.
If an individual has 1,100 acres of land and can’t make a living from it without a subsidy from the federal government, then it is time for everyone to realize just how absurd that really is. Subsidies always distort markets.
Although the number of farms and farmers in the Golden State continues to decline, the state’s population continues to grow by about 600,000 per year.
Unless someone finds a way to curtail such growth, which seems unlikely, the provision of housing, jobs, education, etc., must take priority over sustaining unprofitable agricultural enterprises.
Gary Peters
Paso Robles
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