Agriculture Subsidies
I believe the biggest threat to farmers in the United States is government subsidies which tend to promote yield and production over the nutrition that regenerative practices can have on our health and ecosystem. Farming and ranching should not be thought of as mechanical but biological.
Enjoy,
David Proctor
Urban Soil Farmer/Rancher
Nutrition Over Yield Per Acre
by David Proctor
February 6, 2025
Urban Farm Lifestyle Magazine Published Weekly
I know that government subsidies were originally put into place to be a safety net for farmers and ranchers, during those years of undesirable conditions.
I recently received my January 2025 USDA in Virginia newsletter.
It is unbelievable how many programs and how much money there is to apply for.
I truly appreciate that the government organization is allowing urban and innovative producers flexibility in acreage reporting.
The improvements, implemented by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) previously allowed acreage to be reported down to .0001 acres, approximately a four-square foot area.
Now producers will be able to report acreage-based crops at a minimum size of .000001 acre, approximately a 2.5 inch by 2.5 inch area.
Really, 2.5” x 2.5”!
I think that this shows good intent but I still do not agree with it.
When management decisions are being made about what is to be grown or produced, the first thought should not be about the insurance that will cover you but instead about how this crop or animal fits into your context.
Monocropping
Basing your decisions on insurance and guarantees is not sustainable and is not good for producers.
I believe that if you are growing food for your family and or for the market then you should be looking at what makes the most diverse, nutrient-dense product, with the fewest inputs.
This is how you achieve profitability by reducing or eliminating input costs.
Not by the insurance payouts but by forming your farm or ranch planning around working with nature and its diverse ecosystem which is unique to each farm or ranch context.
By not trying to kill everything above and below ground with pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, and then replace with synthetic fertilizers purchased and applied by expensive equipment but instead work with nature and its diversity.
Pollinator
If you are growing or raising animals for the commodity market, then probably your focus is only on yield per acre to try and cover the cost of inputs and hopefully see a return on investment.
You are not interested in nutrient-dense food because you are not paid to produce that.
The yield or pound produced is what the insurance is put in place to cover, so the more you grow, the bigger your production, that is what you strive for, never mind the ecology around you, this increases the more you are guaranteed to make from subsidies.
Equipment
Another factor with accepting handouts from the government, they now have more knowledge about how and what you produce because of the paperwork trail, which creates an influence on how your operation functions since you have agreed to accept their handout.
I am hopeful that as we all become more diligent about the nutrition in our food this will lead away from the bulk production and into a more diverse and natural production in a local setting.
Our health and the health of our children depend on this choice of producing and purchasing nutrition.
We can all start by growing our own plants or raising an animal to butcher.
Our profit per acre will be in fewer inputs and letting the biology of nature take over.
Forget about yield but strive for the profits of nutrition.
“Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food.”
Check It Out!
Jerry Hatfield – Living Soil 1:38
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Refractometer To Measure Brix
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Bibliography:
USDA Aligns Deadlines, Streamlining Delivery of Livestock Disaster Assistance Programs- January 31, 2025, 31 Jan. 2025.
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