Ski Iowa

[charrison]

linkage

As Iowa finishes harvesting its second-largest corn crop in history, Roger Fray is racing to cope with the most visible challenge arising from the United States' ballooning farm subsidy program: the mega-corn pile.

Soaring more than 60 feet high and spreading a football field wide, the mound of corn behind the headquarters of West Central Cooperative here resembles a little yellow ski hill. "There is no engineering class that teaches you how to cover a pile like this," Mr. Fray, the company's executive vice president for grain marketing, said from the adjacent road. "This is country creativity."

At 2.7 million bushels, the giant pile illustrates the explosive growth in corn production by American farmers in recent years, which this year is estimated to reach a nationwide total of at least 10.9 billion bushels, second only to last year's 11.8 billion bushels.

...

Most of that money will flow to corn growers. Based on loan-deficiency rates that have recently topped 50 cents a bushel, the government probably will pay corn farmers about $4.5 billion this year in that subsidy category alone, said Bob Young, the chief economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

...

The government spent $41.9 billion on corn subsidies from 1995 to 2004, according to the Environmental Working Group.

So far, current and future corn shipments of 550 million bushels are running 11 percent behind last year's level of 640 million bushels in early November, according to government figures. But lately foreign and domestic buyers, sensing fire-sale conditions, have started to snap up corn at historically cheap prices, said Steve Bruce, a grain trader with Man Financial in Chicago. "We have reached the saturation point where the grain elevator managers have said we just have to sell the stuff," he said.


...

Lately the giant piles have become the butt of jokes in farm country. They were spoofed in a fake picture, widely e-mailed, that showed a skier airborne atop West Central's biggest pile, with the caption that said "one thing you can do with a 3-million-bushel pile of harvested corn: Ski Iowa."

Time to kill off alot of farm subsidies... this is crazy.

 

[dahunan]

I think we should cut the higher education loan programs first

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: dahunan
I think we should cut the higher education loan programs first

But neither party appears to want to cut the obvious potk...

 

[chowderhead]

large farming corporations in politically connected districts get the lion share of subsidies
the cato institute cites this handy-dandy group that lists the corporations/people who get subsidies. You can even search by zip code.
subsidies


Anyway, Sen. Chuck (rain forest) Grassley, everyone's favorite Republican Senator from Iowa, is BOASTFUL that his state has received in subsidies $10.2 billion, the most of any other state. from 1995 to 2002.

 

[dahunan]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: dahunan
I think we should cut the higher education loan programs first

But neither party appears to want to cut the obvious potk...

True.. and I don't like being partisan.. but President Bush has not vetoed one single bill in over 5 years....

The only time he threatened to veto a bill was when it had a "no torture" clause added to it



I hate all politicians.. they are all thieving lying scum

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: dahunan
I think we should cut the higher education loan programs first

With the many liberal arts majors I have known who whined about having to pay them back or tried to default, you could well be right!

 

[slash196]

You can't cut farm subsidies. Unless you'd all like to live through another Great Depression. It's like the military-industrial complex: it makes no sense, but you've got to live with it.

 

[ShadesOfGrey]

Originally posted by: charrison
linkage

As Iowa finishes harvesting its second-largest corn crop in history, Roger Fray is racing to cope with the most visible challenge arising from the United States' ballooning farm subsidy program: the mega-corn pile.

Soaring more than 60 feet high and spreading a football field wide, the mound of corn behind the headquarters of West Central Cooperative here resembles a little yellow ski hill. "There is no engineering class that teaches you how to cover a pile like this," Mr. Fray, the company's executive vice president for grain marketing, said from the adjacent road. "This is country creativity."

At 2.7 million bushels, the giant pile illustrates the explosive growth in corn production by American farmers in recent years, which this year is estimated to reach a nationwide total of at least 10.9 billion bushels, second only to last year's 11.8 billion bushels.

...

Most of that money will flow to corn growers. Based on loan-deficiency rates that have recently topped 50 cents a bushel, the government probably will pay corn farmers about $4.5 billion this year in that subsidy category alone, said Bob Young, the chief economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

...

The government spent $41.9 billion on corn subsidies from 1995 to 2004, according to the Environmental Working Group.

So far, current and future corn shipments of 550 million bushels are running 11 percent behind last year's level of 640 million bushels in early November, according to government figures. But lately foreign and domestic buyers, sensing fire-sale conditions, have started to snap up corn at historically cheap prices, said Steve Bruce, a grain trader with Man Financial in Chicago. "We have reached the saturation point where the grain elevator managers have said we just have to sell the stuff," he said.


...

Lately the giant piles have become the butt of jokes in farm country. They were spoofed in a fake picture, widely e-mailed, that showed a skier airborne atop West Central's biggest pile, with the caption that said "one thing you can do with a 3-million-bushel pile of harvested corn: Ski Iowa."

Time to kill off alot of farm subsidies... this is crazy.

Many corn piles exist because it can't be moved at a great enough clip due to reduced barge traffic and rail services that can't handle the harvest. Now as for why there are increasing harvests - ever increasing yields are at "fault" for that. High yields prove today's seeds tolerate drought far better than farmers ever expected

Now, I'm not exactly sure how you are equating subsidies with big piles of corn but something would be grown on the land regardless and I'm pretty sure farmers don't get into the business just because of "subsidies".

However, I would love to see subsidies eliminated, but unless there is a profitable alternative then I don't think you'll see them go. Whether it's subsidies or market protections like sugar gets, the Government loves to stick their hands in pretty much everything. Is it right? No, but I'd like to hear a plan for weening farming from subsidies.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: dahunan

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: dahunan
I think we should cut the higher education loan programs first

But neither party appears to want to cut the obvious potk...

True.. and I don't like being partisan.. but President Bush has not vetoed one single bill in over 5 years....

The only time he threatened to veto a bill was when it had a "no torture" clause added to it



I hate all politicians.. they are all thieving lying scum

Actually several bills have been threatened with a veta, never been used however..

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey

Originally posted by: charrison
linkage

As Iowa finishes harvesting its second-largest corn crop in history, Roger Fray is racing to cope with the most visible challenge arising from the United States' ballooning farm subsidy program: the mega-corn pile.

Soaring more than 60 feet high and spreading a football field wide, the mound of corn behind the headquarters of West Central Cooperative here resembles a little yellow ski hill. "There is no engineering class that teaches you how to cover a pile like this," Mr. Fray, the company's executive vice president for grain marketing, said from the adjacent road. "This is country creativity."

At 2.7 million bushels, the giant pile illustrates the explosive growth in corn production by American farmers in recent years, which this year is estimated to reach a nationwide total of at least 10.9 billion bushels, second only to last year's 11.8 billion bushels.

...

Most of that money will flow to corn growers. Based on loan-deficiency rates that have recently topped 50 cents a bushel, the government probably will pay corn farmers about $4.5 billion this year in that subsidy category alone, said Bob Young, the chief economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

...

The government spent $41.9 billion on corn subsidies from 1995 to 2004, according to the Environmental Working Group.

So far, current and future corn shipments of 550 million bushels are running 11 percent behind last year's level of 640 million bushels in early November, according to government figures. But lately foreign and domestic buyers, sensing fire-sale conditions, have started to snap up corn at historically cheap prices, said Steve Bruce, a grain trader with Man Financial in Chicago. "We have reached the saturation point where the grain elevator managers have said we just have to sell the stuff," he said.


...

Lately the giant piles have become the butt of jokes in farm country. They were spoofed in a fake picture, widely e-mailed, that showed a skier airborne atop West Central's biggest pile, with the caption that said "one thing you can do with a 3-million-bushel pile of harvested corn: Ski Iowa."

Time to kill off alot of farm subsidies... this is crazy.

Many corn piles exist because it can't be moved at a great enough clip due to reduced barge traffic and rail services that can't handle the harvest. Now as for why there are increasing harvests - ever increasing yields are at "fault" for that. High yields prove today's seeds tolerate drought far better than farmers ever expected

Now, I'm not exactly sure how you are equating subsidies with big piles of corn but something would be grown on the land regardless and I'm pretty sure farmers don't get into the business just because of "subsidies".

However, I would love to see subsidies eliminated, but unless there is a profitable alternative then I don't think you'll see them go. Whether it's subsidies or market protections like sugar gets, the Government loves to stick their hands in pretty much everything. Is it right? No, but I'd like to hear a plan for weening farming from subsidies.

As long as the subsidies exist, we are going to grow far more corn than we can get rid of.

 

[dmcowen674]

Iowa has been a mecca the last decade thanks to Republicans pumping in billions to the Iowa corn farmers.

This is what the Republicans members in here have been so proud about.

It's about time the truth came out.

Iowa and states that have done this need to be severly punished.

 

[ShadesOfGrey]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey

Originally posted by: charrison
linkage

As Iowa finishes harvesting its second-largest corn crop in history, Roger Fray is racing to cope with the most visible challenge arising from the United States' ballooning farm subsidy program: the mega-corn pile.

Soaring more than 60 feet high and spreading a football field wide, the mound of corn behind the headquarters of West Central Cooperative here resembles a little yellow ski hill. "There is no engineering class that teaches you how to cover a pile like this," Mr. Fray, the company's executive vice president for grain marketing, said from the adjacent road. "This is country creativity."

At 2.7 million bushels, the giant pile illustrates the explosive growth in corn production by American farmers in recent years, which this year is estimated to reach a nationwide total of at least 10.9 billion bushels, second only to last year's 11.8 billion bushels.

...

Most of that money will flow to corn growers. Based on loan-deficiency rates that have recently topped 50 cents a bushel, the government probably will pay corn farmers about $4.5 billion this year in that subsidy category alone, said Bob Young, the chief economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

...

The government spent $41.9 billion on corn subsidies from 1995 to 2004, according to the Environmental Working Group.

So far, current and future corn shipments of 550 million bushels are running 11 percent behind last year's level of 640 million bushels in early November, according to government figures. But lately foreign and domestic buyers, sensing fire-sale conditions, have started to snap up corn at historically cheap prices, said Steve Bruce, a grain trader with Man Financial in Chicago. "We have reached the saturation point where the grain elevator managers have said we just have to sell the stuff," he said.


...

Lately the giant piles have become the butt of jokes in farm country. They were spoofed in a fake picture, widely e-mailed, that showed a skier airborne atop West Central's biggest pile, with the caption that said "one thing you can do with a 3-million-bushel pile of harvested corn: Ski Iowa."

Time to kill off alot of farm subsidies... this is crazy.

Many corn piles exist because it can't be moved at a great enough clip due to reduced barge traffic and rail services that can't handle the harvest. Now as for why there are increasing harvests - ever increasing yields are at "fault" for that. High yields prove today's seeds tolerate drought far better than farmers ever expected

Now, I'm not exactly sure how you are equating subsidies with big piles of corn but something would be grown on the land regardless and I'm pretty sure farmers don't get into the business just because of "subsidies".

However, I would love to see subsidies eliminated, but unless there is a profitable alternative then I don't think you'll see them go. Whether it's subsidies or market protections like sugar gets, the Government loves to stick their hands in pretty much everything. Is it right? No, but I'd like to hear a plan for weening farming from subsidies.

As long as the subsidies exist, we are going to grow far more corn than we can get rid of.

So where exactly does this excess corn go in your opinion? You think it just sits there in a pile and rots?
BTW, ethanol increased it's demand for corn by 200 million bushels last year and was projected to increase by 250million this year. Seems to me that would be a great way for corn support itself, or atleast help.

I would also like to note that there are many things that recieve subsidies and corn isn't the only one. It's just easy to pick on because you see giant piles of it if you drive through Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. It looks funny and sounds funny but the reality is, there just isn't enough transportation to move that corn immediately after harvest.

I am all for free markets and ending subsidies but I still haven't heard of a plan that will allow us to free ourselves of them.

 

[alphatarget1]

can't they make ethanol out of those?

corn is gooood. haha.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey

Originally posted by: charrison
linkage

As Iowa finishes harvesting its second-largest corn crop in history, Roger Fray is racing to cope with the most visible challenge arising from the United States' ballooning farm subsidy program: the mega-corn pile.

Soaring more than 60 feet high and spreading a football field wide, the mound of corn behind the headquarters of West Central Cooperative here resembles a little yellow ski hill. "There is no engineering class that teaches you how to cover a pile like this," Mr. Fray, the company's executive vice president for grain marketing, said from the adjacent road. "This is country creativity."

At 2.7 million bushels, the giant pile illustrates the explosive growth in corn production by American farmers in recent years, which this year is estimated to reach a nationwide total of at least 10.9 billion bushels, second only to last year's 11.8 billion bushels.

...

Most of that money will flow to corn growers. Based on loan-deficiency rates that have recently topped 50 cents a bushel, the government probably will pay corn farmers about $4.5 billion this year in that subsidy category alone, said Bob Young, the chief economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

...

The government spent $41.9 billion on corn subsidies from 1995 to 2004, according to the Environmental Working Group.

So far, current and future corn shipments of 550 million bushels are running 11 percent behind last year's level of 640 million bushels in early November, according to government figures. But lately foreign and domestic buyers, sensing fire-sale conditions, have started to snap up corn at historically cheap prices, said Steve Bruce, a grain trader with Man Financial in Chicago. "We have reached the saturation point where the grain elevator managers have said we just have to sell the stuff," he said.


...

Lately the giant piles have become the butt of jokes in farm country. They were spoofed in a fake picture, widely e-mailed, that showed a skier airborne atop West Central's biggest pile, with the caption that said "one thing you can do with a 3-million-bushel pile of harvested corn: Ski Iowa."

Time to kill off alot of farm subsidies... this is crazy.

Many corn piles exist because it can't be moved at a great enough clip due to reduced barge traffic and rail services that can't handle the harvest. Now as for why there are increasing harvests - ever increasing yields are at "fault" for that. High yields prove today's seeds tolerate drought far better than farmers ever expected

Now, I'm not exactly sure how you are equating subsidies with big piles of corn but something would be grown on the land regardless and I'm pretty sure farmers don't get into the business just because of "subsidies".

However, I would love to see subsidies eliminated, but unless there is a profitable alternative then I don't think you'll see them go. Whether it's subsidies or market protections like sugar gets, the Government loves to stick their hands in pretty much everything. Is it right? No, but I'd like to hear a plan for weening farming from subsidies.

As long as the subsidies exist, we are going to grow far more corn than we can get rid of.

So where exactly does this excess corn go in your opinion? You think it just sits there in a pile and rots?
BTW, ethanol increased it's demand for corn by 200 million bushels last year and was projected to increase by 250million this year. Seems to me that would be a great way for corn support itself, or atleast help.

I would also like to note that there are many things that recieve subsidies and corn isn't the only one. It's just easy to pick on because you see giant piles of it if you drive through Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. It looks funny and sounds funny but the reality is, there just isn't enough transportation to move that corn immediately after harvest.

I am all for free markets and ending subsidies but I still haven't heard of a plan that will allow us to free ourselves of them.

The only problem with corn to ethanol is it is still being proped up by subsidies as well.

The only way to free ourselves of subsidies is stop using them. There we subsidize the farmers( or any group for that matter), they more subsidy they will want.

 

[Jadow]

so much for the free market deciding things.

 

[ShadesOfGrey]

Originally posted by: charrison
The only problem with corn to ethanol is it is still being proped up by subsidies as well.

The only way to free ourselves of subsidies is stop using them. There we subsidize the farmers( or any group for that matter), they more subsidy they will want.

Ethanol is sustainable on it's own. You can't bash ethanol about subsidies without looking at the oil industry either. They have their own.

I would love to see a free market. Any suggestions on how we get there?

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: ShadesOfGrey

Originally posted by: charrison
The only problem with corn to ethanol is it is still being proped up by subsidies as well.

The only way to free ourselves of subsidies is stop using them. There we subsidize the farmers( or any group for that matter), they more subsidy they will want.

Ethanol is sustainable on it's own. You can't bash ethanol about subsidies without looking at the oil industry either. They have their own.

I would love to see a free market. Any suggestions on how we get there?

If ethinol is self sustainable, turn off the subsidies. IF it is sef sustainable there will still be demand for corn. Just turn the damn things off..

 

[sixone]

Originally posted by: chowderhead
large farming corporations in politically connected districts get the lion share of subsidies
the cato institute cites this handy-dandy group that lists the corporations/people who get subsidies. You can even search by zip code.
subsidies


Anyway, Sen. Chuck (rain forest) Grassley, everyone's favorite Republican Senator from Iowa, is BOASTFUL that his state has received in subsidies $10.2 billion, the most of any other state. from 1995 to 2002.

You've hit the nail on the head. Unless you want all farm commodities controlled by a few large producers, you can't eliminate farm subsidies, because the small family farms would disappear. I'm all for capping those subsidies, tho, as they are being abused by those large farming operations.

And yes, I married into a small family farm, and we wouldn't make it without those subidies.

 

[techs]

I can't remember where I posted this before but here it is again.
Picture

Edit: I found it. It was originally posted in this thread:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=52&threadid=1733607&enterthread=y
The Pope must think the U.S. is nuts.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: sixone

Originally posted by: chowderhead
large farming corporations in politically connected districts get the lion share of subsidies
the cato institute cites this handy-dandy group that lists the corporations/people who get subsidies. You can even search by zip code.
subsidies


Anyway, Sen. Chuck (rain forest) Grassley, everyone's favorite Republican Senator from Iowa, is BOASTFUL that his state has received in subsidies $10.2 billion, the most of any other state. from 1995 to 2002.

You've hit the nail on the head. Unless you want all farm commodities controlled by a few large producers, you can't eliminate farm subsidies, because the small family farms would disappear. I'm all for capping those subsidies, tho, as they are being abused by those large farming operations.

And yes, I married into a small family farm, and we wouldn't make it without those subidies.

I find that hard to beleive that agriculture cannot survive without goverment subsidies.

 

[sixone]

Originally posted by: charrison
I find that hard to beleive that agriculture cannot survive without goverment subsidies.

Based on what?

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: sixone

Originally posted by: charrison
I find that hard to beleive that agriculture cannot survive without goverment subsidies.

Based on what?

The fact that everyone has to eat. Agricutlture is one product no one can do without.

 

[sixone]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: sixone

Originally posted by: charrison
I find that hard to beleive that agriculture cannot survive without goverment subsidies.

Based on what?

The fact that everyone has to eat. Agricutlture is one product no one can do without.

True. And food is pretty cheap, too. Those subsidies, even with all the abuse, help keep the prices down.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: sixone

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: sixone

Originally posted by: charrison
I find that hard to beleive that agriculture cannot survive without goverment subsidies.

Based on what?

The fact that everyone has to eat. Agricutlture is one product no one can do without.

True. And food is pretty cheap, too. Those subsidies, even with all the abuse, help keep the prices down.

They also help get taxes up to support said subsidies. In the end all consumers lose because of this.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: sixone

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: sixone

Originally posted by: charrison
I find that hard to beleive that agriculture cannot survive without goverment subsidies.

Based on what?

The fact that everyone has to eat. Agricutlture is one product no one can do without.

True. And food is pretty cheap, too. Those subsidies, even with all the abuse, help keep the prices down.

They also help get taxes up to support said subsidies. In the end all consumers lose because of this.

Vote for me and Farmers will have to work for a living again.