Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–May 4, 2011. Billions of dollars in agricultural subsidies would be better spent on deficit reduction while also investing in a clean energy future in our rural communities, argues a new paper out today from the Center for American Progress’s Jake Caldwell. The report, “Bad Seeds: A Plan to Phase out the $5 Billion in ‘Direct Payment’ Agricultural Subsidies,” details how the current automatic subsidy payment program is outdated and tends to favor wealthier, larger landowners at the expense of smaller farmers and taxpayers. “Poorly designed and ineffective agricultural subsidy programs weaken the competitiveness of our nation’s farmers and rural communities, drain taxpayer resources, and should be reformed,” says Caldwell. “Direct payment agricultural subsidies are harmful to the majority of U.S. farmers, artificially inflate land values, create barriers for young people pursuing farming as a career, offer minimal protection against the real risks facing the agriculture sector, and are overdue for revision in next year’s farm bill.”
