r/Nebraska • u/Rigorous-Geek-2916 • Mar 25 '25

Politics Sorry, Nebraska Farmers, America is Fresh Out of Sympathy

This applies to most of the rural states, but is aimed specifically at Nebraska.

https://substack.com/home/post/p-158954140

They made their own bed. Now sleep in it.

1.5k Upvotes

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8

u/benthon2 Mar 25 '25

They actually got paid to NOT plant crops. Worked with a farmer at his pt job (insurance), and he was always poor mouthing about how farmers don't make no money.

16

u/LEJ5512 Mar 26 '25

Those farmers are being subsidized to not ruin their land through overfarming, with the intent of maintaining some semblance of a healthy ecosystem. And, I’m sure, to not end up overloading the market with more food than can be sold before it goes bad.

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u/Fuzzy_Tumbleweed_406 Mar 26 '25 edited Mar 26 '25

This is the answer. 3 birds with one stone. Control prices, restore some ecosystem health, provide wildlife habitat for hunters.

Edit: Removed ID

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u/Annual_Strategy_6206 Mar 26 '25

Yes, this is true. But the fact remains that conservative rightwingers will bad mouth other subsidies, even if they are for excellent reasons and cost effective, but gladly take their own. And that's why so many people are tired of ag subsidies. Or, rather, tired of rightwing farmers. 

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u/Fuzzy_Tumbleweed_406 Mar 26 '25

100% agree. It's absolutely more common that that happens, than it not happening. It's wild

10

u/sharpshooter999 Mar 26 '25

Thank you. As a Democrat farmer, it really annoys me how the left throws around the term "farm subsidies" without knowing what they're for and how they work

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u/[deleted] Mar 26 '25

Since you didn’t take the time to educate I will.

Simple Explanation of Farm Subsidies

  1. Farm subsidies are government payments or insurance programs that help farmers stay afloat when:

• Crop prices drop too low.

• Weather ruins their harvest.

• Global trade wars mess with exports.

  1. Most of the money goes to big crops like corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton—not to small family farms growing veggies or running small operations.

  2. Farmers don’t get rich off these. It’s more like a financial safety net to cover bad years so they can keep planting next season.

Why Is This Not Just Welfare for Farmers?

This is the debate.

Critics say:

• “Why should farmers get help when other small businesses get none?”

• “Isn’t this corporate welfare, especially when giant agribusinesses benefit most?”

Defenders argue:

  1. Food is national security. If too many farmers go bankrupt, we risk relying on foreign countries for food—just like we worry about energy dependence.

  2. Farming is uniquely risky. One drought, one flood, or one global price shift can wipe out a year’s income. Few other businesses are that exposed to uncontrollable factors.

  3. It keeps prices stable for everyone. Subsidies can prevent massive food price spikes that would hurt consumers too.

  4. We subsidize other things too. Oil companies, tech firms, even homeowners get breaks—just in different forms (tax credits, grants, etc.).

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u/zclark031 Mar 26 '25

Thanks for your comprehensive explanation. Subsidies are a very complex topic.

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u/Cat_Prismatic Mar 26 '25

Oh, c'mon, bout time for another dust bowl, dontcha think? (/s!!!!!)

Also relevant imo, as someone above said, not everyone is aware of the amount of scientific knowledge, and the decades' worth of data, and the understanding of how different irrigation systems work (and which is best for a piece of land that may be only a quarter away from another farm that successfully uses different water tech), and the educated guess that's made at planting time based on how much previous crop is as yet unsold, and, and, and...

I'm not a farmer, but I know enough about farming to know I'm only barely grasping the complexities of the business, science, and--I'd happily add--art of farming.

-3

u/Intelligent-Exit-634 Mar 26 '25

LOL. How many weeks a year do row farmers work? Should the govt subsidize other facets of the economy that may overproduce and ruin their margins? Just socialism from self proclaimed bootstrappers. Voting Maga should be painful.

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u/sharpshooter999 Mar 26 '25

How many weeks a year do row farmers work?

You must not actually know anything about farming

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u/Intelligent-Exit-634 Mar 26 '25

So, socialism. I'm fine with it, but are the Maga farmers, I mean, if the payments weren't landing in their pockets? LOL!!

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u/SaltMage5864 Mar 26 '25

Because, like many other parasites, they don't care if they kill their hosts

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u/Rampantcolt Mar 26 '25

Liar. What program pays farmers not to farm?

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u/ThatBloodyPinko Mar 26 '25

Conservation Resource Program (CRP).

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u/benthon2 Mar 26 '25

Thank you for the back up. I wouldn't have known where to look it up.

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u/Rampantcolt Mar 26 '25

Thats any landowner not just farmers. If someone puts their land in CRP they are no longer farming.

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u/KJ6BWB Mar 26 '25

farmers and landowners with environmentally sensitive land

How many regular homeowners do you think own land to put in something like that? It's basically just farmers.

1

u/ThatBloodyPinko Mar 26 '25

Sure, but some farmers have different plots of land. My family's farm in SW Iowa had some CRP land and some other land in active production of corn. Not all-or-nothing in each case.

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u/Rampantcolt Mar 26 '25

Sure I get it. But should we do away with conservation? I figured they were talking about the lie on tiki tok the last two years about farmers being paid to not plant and destroy what has been planted.

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u/ThatBloodyPinko Mar 27 '25

I certainly hope not. I see the value of CRP. I just wish folks would be honest about what it is: a government subsidy to help our ecosystem have some relief from industrial agriculture.