Carving the Pork

The annual USDA farm bill is the nation's gift to a small group of farm state legislators and lobbyists and the giant agribusiness firms which overwhelmingly benefit from said legislation.  As the average American's waistline continues to expand under the present policy regime, it is fair to ask, what's in it for the rest of us?   More of the same, unfortunately for the health of the country's children.  We are systematically dooming the coming generation to a life of obesity, chronic illness and early death if we allow the unchecked greed of the ConAgra, Monsanto, DuPont axis of chemical, bioengineered, and gimmicky marketing of unhealtful foods.  Instead of following the dictates of the food industry, the legislators should be focusing on the health of the people and crafting a bill which encourages healthy eating and ends the strip mining of our most fertile soils in the quest for ever higher yields of monoculture crops like corn and soybeans.  There are millions of jobs for young farmers if there is the will to create them.  The mantra that the American farmer needs to get big or get out and that by impoverishing our soils we can feed the world (with unhealthful crap) needs to be replaced with sustainable farming practices which can help feed future generations.  There, I'll get off the soapbox now.