Proposed Farm Bill Supports Small Cheesemakers
Cheeseheads unite! Late last week the Senate began discussing the $286 billion Farm Bill, and reports are surfacing that the current bill includes a plan for increased spending on, among other things, artisan cheeses. The provision, co-sponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy of America's artisanal dairyland, Vermont, would help support this "promising new sector of the dairy industry."
Unfortunately, the bill will probably not be passed in its current form, as the White House has threatened to veto it without significant amendments. Republican Senator Judd Gregg (NH) said, "I'm not sure many Americans would agree that stress assistance programs for farmers or artisan cheese centers are a good use of their hard-earned dollars."
Hmmm, I guess he's not counting me!
However, even though this year's farm bill includes more programs to support small-scale farms than ever before—including a program to help renovate historic barns to drive agritourism—criticism of the bill isn't limited to those on the right. Last week small-ag supporter Michael Pollan decried the bill for missing the forest for the trees by upholding large-scale subsidies to commodity farmers.
It remains to be seen what the final incarnation of this important piece of legislation will look like. Though I agree with the premise of Pollan's criticism, I think it would be a great step forward for there to be legislation in place that supports the artisan cheese industry. That industry provides an excellent example of how small-scale farming can be sustainable and profitable. But what do you readers think? Is the Farm Bill on the right track, or missing the big picture?
About the author: Jamie Forrest publishes Curdnerds.com from his apartment in Brooklyn, New York, where he lives with his wife, his daughter, and his cheese. | Photo from Ken30684 on Flickr
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3 Comments:
I'll bet no matter what form it finally takes, the artisan farmers who need support get very little while the corporate farmers like Chevron get zillions.
Bearnaise at 11:58AM on 11/12/07
The provisions are a small bone thrown to starving animals. Yes, many of them like helping get local food in schools are good. However, the lion's share goes to the big guys. As a taxpayer, I have a hard time getting behind a bill that pays a farmer $120K per year for nothing when he is already making $500K. Where do the rest of us get in line for free money in the six figures?
ExpatChef at 1:46PM on 11/12/07
I agree with the above comments. The bill is an incredible pile of (pardon the pun) pork, taxing the many to support the few with a few fashionable tidbits (artisanal farming, food stamps) thrown in to create constituencies that favor the bill carved out from those who should strongly oppose it. It is one of the worst transfers of public funds in the entire federal budget, with implications for energy policy, nutrition, conservatiion, etc. And the sainted Senator Leahy is one of the principal movers and shakers behind diary legislation that taxes poor urban dwellers feeding their babies to support corporate dairy farms. Artisanal cheeses, my....
gustoct at 2:26PM on 11/12/07