[Faith & Hunger] Hunger Action Reacts to Spitzer on Farm Bill

[Dunleamark at aol.com]

Hunger Action Network of New York State 
Statement in response to Four Governor Release on Farm bill and June  12th 
Spitzer letter on farm bill 
(Four Governors letter at _http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/0626072.html_ 
(http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/0626072.html) ;  
_http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/Farm_Bill_Priorities.pdf_ 
(http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/Farm_Bill_Priorities.pdf) ) 
For More Information: Mark Dunlea 518 434-7371 xt 1# 
June 26, 2007 
Hunger Action Urges Spitzer administration to Support Increased Funding  for 
Food Stamps in the Farm Bill 
While the Spitzer administration has taken commendable steps to support  
increased investments in conservation, sustainable agriculture and support for  
fresh fruits and vegetables, it is shocking that New York fails to advocate for  
higher food stamp benefits. The unrealistically low level of food stamp 
benefits  is a major cause of hunger in our state. It is not enough just to 
advocate  making it easier to obtain food stamp benefits, as the Spitzer 
administration  does, because those benefits are inadequate. 
The Spitzer administration also does not go far enough in advocating for  an 
overhaul of the antiquated commodity price support system or supporting  
increased investment in rural development. 
The farm bill can provide better and broader support for  U.S. farmers, 
strengthen communities in rural America, help hungry people in  this country afford 
a sufficient and nutritious diet, and support the efforts of  small-scale 
farmers in developing countries to sell their crops and feed their  families—all 
things that the current farm bill falls short of  doing. 
Most importantly, food stamp benefit level, at $1.16 per person per meal in 
New York, is  inadequate to support a proper diet.  Moreover, the purchasing 
power of food stamps is declining each  year.  Food stamp benefits should be  
adjusted to provide a more adequate diet.   
Certain low-income New Yorkers who need help purchasing an adequate diet,  
such as legal immigrant adults and unemployed childless adults, are excluded  
from the Food Stamp Program even though they face hunger and hardship to the  
same degree as other households that are eligible for food stamps.  These 
eligibility restrictions should be  revisited. 
We urge the Spitzer administration to support a more  comprehensive overhaul 
of the commodity price support system. Far too much of  these subsidies go to 
large corporate farms rather than farms; this is  highlighted by the fact that 
the rural counties in America with the highest rate  of farm subsidy payments 
are also the counties with the highest rate of poverty.   
The farm bill should do more to help small family farms  to stay in business; 
support rural development; and promote proper nutrition.  More subsidies 
should be provided to make fruits and vegetables affordable to  low-income 
Americans. Such a change would benefit both NY farmers and  consumers. 
The commodity payments presently go to mostly five crops—corn, wheat,  
cotton, rice and soybeans. Commodity payments are supposed to protect farmers  from 
low prices by making up the difference between a target price and the  actual 
market price. In reality, commodity payments are not very effective risk  
management tools for farmers. Commodity payments have shifted dramatically to  the 
very largest farms, which often are also the wealthiest farmers. Farmers who  
need payments the least are receiving the most, and two-thirds of U.S. 
farmers  receive no payments.  
In addition, because the  commodity payment system encourages U.S. farmers to 
concentrate on the five  crops, world markets are being flooded with these 
crops, which are sold at  prices lower than what it costs to produce them. This 
results in the subsidized  foods being dump into third world markets, 
undermining subsistence farmers who  are forced out of business and thus increasing 
long-term hunger and  famine. 
The landscape of rural America is quite different now than during the  1930s, 
when direct government support for farmers began, yet the farm bill has  not 
kept pace with changing times. Today the vast majority of rural residents  
work in non-farm jobs, such as retail service or factory work. Many farmers, in  
fact, take second jobs off the farm. Federal farm policy has not kept pace 
with  changes in the farm sector or with changes in rural America. More of the 
farm  bill funds should be devoted to rural  development.





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