February 5, 2014

The U.S. Senate, in a rare bipartisan vote of 68 to 32, yesterday passed the long-stalled farm bill, which represents nearly $1 trillion in spending over the next 10 years. Critics note that the legislation clearly favors the producers of food–both family farmers and corporate agribusiness–over the nation’s poor. The bill cut $8 billion from the food stamp program over the next 10 years, while expanding crop insurance and other benefits for agribusiness. These include new subsidies for rice and peanut growers and a host of other benefits for such food-related interests as the catfish and sugar industries.

The bill does, however, require beef, lamb, and poultry producers to stamp their products with the country of origin, a provision much fought for by consumer groups. The farm bill also eliminates a much-maligned $5 billion-a-year crop subsidy to farmers who received the payments whether they grew crops or not. “Instead of getting a government check even in good times, farmers will pay an insurance bill every year and will only receive support from that insurance in years when they take a loss,” stated the bill’s author, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D., Michigan), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

The 2014 Farm Bill provides subsidies for peanut farmers, among other food producers. (U.S. Department of Agriculture)

Speaking to the media after the bill’s passage, Stabenow pointed out that the food stamp cuts affect only 4 percent of recipients and do not remove anyone from program rolls. However, anti-hunger advocates claim that some 1.7 million people will lose an average of $90 per month in benefits because of the cuts.

Political experts describe the cuts to the food stamp program as a major victory for Republicans. In July 2013, House Republicans attempted to remove all food stamp funding from the farm bill. In September, they drafted legislation that slashed $40 billion from the program. After months of negotiations with the Democrat-controlled Senate, the House finally passed a farm bill on Jan. 29, 2014,  that contained the compromise $8 billion in reductions.

Additional World Book articles:

• Agriculture, Department of
• Consumer Federation of America
• Congress of the United States 2012 (a Back in Time article)
• Food and Drug Safety and the FDA (a special report)

March 19, 2012

A drought that began in Mexico in 2010 has turned into the worst that the country has experienced since official weather record keeping began in 1941, according to Mexican officials. At least two-thirds of Mexico’s 31 states are experiencing extremely dry conditions with below-normal rainfall. The north-central states of Coahuila, Durango, San Luis Potosi, and Zacatecas have been hardest hit. However, government officials are also concerned about drought in Guanajuato, one of the top food-producing states in the country. Mexican farmers produce large quantities of beans, corn, onions, and tomatoes, both for export and as food for their own people. Mexico is also the chief supplier of cattle to the United States. According to some estimates, food production across Mexico has fallen by 40 percent, raising food prices.

(World Book map; map data © MapQuest.com, Inc.)

Farmers who rely on rainfall to water their crops and livestock were the first to experience hardship. Rain has fallen in some states at only half the usual levels. As the dry conditions have continued, lakes and reservoirs have fallen to critically low levels. Many farmers are no longer able to irrigate their crops, and ranchers cannot supply their cattle with water. Several towns have run out of drinking water. The government has begun delivering emergency food and water supplies to thousands of people, and about 2 million others lack adequate food.

Some meteorologists expect the drought to continue for at least several more months. They believe the dry spell is the result of a La Nina. A La Nina is a weather phenomenon in which the waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean become colder and the climate becomes drier. A La Nina follows the better-known weather condition known as an El Nino. During an El Nino, waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean become warmer and the climate becomes wetter. One of the strongest La Nina’s in more than 10 years occurred from 2010 to 2011. Texas has also been experiencing a severe drought.

Additional World Book article:

• Food supply