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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] NRCS hoophouse program

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  • From: idyllwild farm <idyllwildfarm AT gmail.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] NRCS hoophouse program
  • Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2011 10:21:12 -0400

Given Bill's careful but inciteful remarks, the amount of money that gets poured into midwest commodity programs and the waste of energy being spent slamming this program, I would think that veg growers would benefit by spending the time figuring out who to target and applying the pressure necessary to try and achieve better results. For example, I don't understand why getting this program into KY hasn't been a focus of the KY Veg Growers Assoc annual meeting. Until it does, the better organized beef and grain commodity groups in KY are going to keep the EQUIP money.

If you go to the Environmental Working Group USDA subsidy website and compare dollars distributed by region, I find it fascinating that growers in the Northeast (where a huge percentage of tax dollars comes from) aren't railing for more money versus the midwest (which puts in a lower percentage of tax money) which has been a receiver of all this free commodity money.

This grant program hasn't worked any differently than any other non-ag grant program I've witnessed- some good things happened and some poor things have happened. We've all witnessed on this list some really helpful comments and some comments that sound a lot like this program would have been great if I got a grant, but since I didn't it really sucks (which is what I used to say about all the money poured into water for the Cal growers and grain supports for the midwest growers). 
Most of them I'm trying to take in the light of it's the end of the season, people are tired and they feel like b*$ching about something. But seriously, if this program didn't work for you, what definitive steps are you taking to change it? Frankly, though, as someone who's spent my money putting up my houses, I hope more people wait for the NRCS to get this program perfect!  ;)
Regards,
Mike Hass



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