Farming's Contribution to Society

In a 1999 poll commissioned by the American Farm Bureau Federation, 85 percent of respondents said that farmers make a “great deal of contribution to society.” That was only 1 percent behind teachers and firefighters.

When it comes to providing healthy food, the survey gave farmers excellent to very good marks. When it comes to conserving resources and caring for the environment, Americans rated farmers ahead of environmentalists, scientists, and government regulators.

By comparison, only 13 percent of respondents said that politicians make a “great deal of contribution to society.”

That’s what Americans say. Not surprisingly, politicians say something else altogether.

Today only 3.4 percent of federal spending goes to agriculture. That represents a steady decrease since 1960, when a still very modest 5.3 percent of the budget went to supporting agriculture. To put it into perspective in another way, the federal government spends twice as much on servicing the national debt as it does to ensure the long term health of America’s farms.

Everybody has their priorities. I guess the bureaucrats are just not on the same page with the rest of America.

Oh well, I guess teachers aren’t getting rich quick either.