$300,000.00 agri- instability welfare to the rich cheques.

[riders2010]

Spoke with a guy from area an hour west of us the otherday and from what he calls reliable sources 2 different 4000 acre farmers recieved 300,000.00 and more this year from agri-instability. He farms about 10 miles east of these guys and his farm pretty much lost last 3 crops plus the 2005 and 2006 disasters as well and has recieved 0 dollars like we have. Those farmers recieving the 300,000.00 are calling from Umah USA while on vacation and took over land that he could no longer afford to rent after they bid the price up. He's out working and they are sitting on their ass in the sun. All because of why? They had 5 good years missed the heavy rain etc so good margin and this year not even a major loss but getting 300,000.00 cheques.

Yep welfare for the rich, good thing they mail the cheques from Melville and not Winnipeg! because that makes such a big difference to the program doesn't it?

[farmaholic]

The fault does not lie with the producers receiving the cheques, it is a design flaw with the program. The program is not designed to cover long term margin declines. It truly is dysfunctional and unfair, no arguments from me.

[riders2010]

I agree with you totally no problem with those receiving the money except to say, those that are fighting us guys to not change it. No doubt they don't want it changed.

If this was to happen to any other industry any other grouping of people there would be such a mass uproar, so why are those of you sitting there with nothing from this program letting this go on, I don't get it! Are some not aware of the huge payouts and who is getting it. $300,000 would have paid alot of premium that crap-insurance is now gonna charge for too wet acres and that is just one farm's payout.

I wonder what the bigger cheque amounts are?

[Burbert]

This is probably more Comedian bullsh*t,
cousin I heared that the big boys/girls
won't take corporate welfare cheques, let
alone, cash them. Besides sucha payout
wouldn't even pay their fert and chem
bills, cousin theys obviously modern 0
tillers, claimin that much loss!!!

[ajl]

Pretty much the norm here for some time.
We have to get rid of agristability
because it does more harm than good. The
only fair program is no program. It is
easier to make gravity work upwards than
design a farm program with no unintended
consequences.

[grrrr]

I agree ajl. As soon as you get government involved , things get distorted. I say get rid of all goverment programs. If you want coverage, use crop insurance.

[sumdumguy]

The problem is that these programs run year after
year and claimants learn the ropes. There should
be forensic audits.

[tipsy]

Agri-instability as been a complete failure for our farm and we left the program 3 years ago.
I can't believe after all these years with this useless program that the powers to be can't figue it out. This program since its incepetion has been in a serious need of an overhaul.

[bgmb]

I think if you talked to the policy guys and they were honest with you they would tell you this;

1) no program is perfect

2) Agri stability is designed to help good farmers (farmers that make money most of the time and will therefore have good margins)
It is not designed to keep poor farmers in business, no different than crop insurance. If your long term averages are poor, your coverage is poor.

3) That is why they have an Olympic average, drop highest and lowest years on the 5 year average. Also margin calc is lagged 1 year (2011 won't come into play till 2013 margin calculation)

I think it is a great program even tho I have gotten very little money from it. I am happy to have the program but if they took it away for everyone that would be fine with me too.

[bgmb]

I would also argue this is one of the most fair gov risk insurance programs.

1) Coverage is based on the financial productivity of your farm (how much you generate from your variable costs)

2) premiums are based on coverage not acres so it is more accurate unlike crop insurance where a guy with 30 quarters of one crop spread across 30 miles may be paying the same per acre rate as a guy with 1 quarter.

3) it does not just blindly give money to farms based on sales (agri invest NISA) if you are worried about distortion these type of programs would be the worst.