The Hidden Costs Of The Farm Bill (INFOGRAPHIC)

The 2012 Farm Bill, a massive piece of legislation that is currently working its way through the Senate, is full of controversy. The infographic below, courtesy of TakePart.com, puts certain aspects in perspective -- especially how commodity crops are subsidized and who is receiving the subsidies.

Take a look:

Comments

[adfarm]

10:05 AM on 06/19/2012

Just one more fact missing from the article...Nearly $82 billion (80%) of the Farm Bill pays for nutrition programs. Another "hidden cost" that should be added. According to the congressional budget office (CBO).

[adfarm]

10:13 AM on 06/19/2012

By nutrition programs, I mean food stamps, WIC, etc.

[phatpat141]

11:24 AM on 06/14/2012

So, we gave $39 billion to big aggro over the last 3 years so they can cause $190 billion a year in related health costs? The answers this country needs are so clear, yet nothing ever changes. This is after I watch Michelle Obama on Restaurant Impossible last nite with her nonsense program about child obesity. We doesn't tell her husband not to appoint GMO psoterboy Tom Vilisac as head of the usda.

[didi719]

02:09 PM on 06/14/2012

I say we start by limiting the allowable purchases with food stamps to healthy foods only! No more sugary drinks & junk food.

[sszs1978]

03:25 PM on 06/14/2012

To bad they barely give you enough food stamps to buy all healthy food with how high the cost of healthy food is. I am a single mother of two, work full time and receive the allowed amount of food stamps. I usally spend as much as I can at a meet market and then try to use my cash for side dishes, milk, eggs etc...I barely make enough money to cover my bills and what my children need. The food stamps might last me two weeks out of the month if I am lucky. It is sad when it is cheaper to feed your kids fast food then to provide them with a healthy meal. Sometimes people have no choice but to eat unhealthy because they can't afford it. I would love to feed my children healthy all the time. It isn't possible...

[Patrick Hume]

08:52 PM on 06/19/2012

Just to clarify your statement, we gave $39 billion to subsidize FARMERS, whom later bought products from 'big aggro.' The informed consumer then caused their own health costs of $190 billion. The farm bill didn't make the consumer buy all those big macs, large soda's, or other unhealthy food, though the low amounts distributed in SNAP payments might lead one to favor lower quality foods.

[I-US]

10:13 AM on 06/14/2012

Less than 5% of adults meeting the recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption is a jaw-dropping number.

[bbrecht]

09:42 AM on 06/14/2012

I'd like to see a chart showing how much of the farm bill is subsidizing GMO foods versus organic. And also, since most of the commodities are now GMO products, just curious what kind of government support Monsanto has managed to cash in on itself over the years.

[bbrecht]

09:35 AM on 06/14/2012

Please explain what you mean by the top 20% and bottom 80%. Thanks!

[phatpat141]

11:17 AM on 06/14/2012

I would venture that 0% goes to organics. Also, to be certified organic is very costly and time consuming to many small farmers. I think that the top 20% means the size of the farm, meaning big aggro gets all the subsidies, while the local farmers get crumbs

[FOXYROSE]

08:38 AM on 06/14/2012

Our tax collected dollars go to big, rich farmers - fruits and veggies have gone way up at my neck of the woods - groceries in general are way up. I have been railing against these subsidys for a very long time. We need to strip most subsidys and rebates and other loopholes. The Congressional Cartel is killing us - we need to strip them of some of their recklessness. They get bribes from big business and that should be deemed unconstitutional.

[mijjy]

12:17 AM on 06/14/2012

olitenup is right, Huff Po: FRONT PAGE, PLEASE!!

[wtf is this]

11:01 PM on 06/13/2012

Seems like the rest of our spending. Subsidies to those that are already bloated, no help where needed. When can we get a congress to make some intelligent changes?

[olitenup]

08:14 PM on 06/13/2012

Huff PO!!!! Put this on your FRONT PAGE!!! This effects us ALL.

[SparkyGump]

08:01 PM on 06/13/2012

There's no welfare like corporate welfare. Republicants like to cry about nonexistant death panels while they shoot themselves in the mouth with every bite of the processed crap they're chomping on.

[Ty2010]

07:59 PM on 06/13/2012

It's a handout to factory (corporate) farms plain and simple.

[Magnus Thunderson]

04:32 PM on 06/13/2012

one thing I like to see is benefits being phased out if depening on farm size starting at 50% of the large farms to zero benefits at 70% at the largest farms as how can a farm making millions of dollar a year need suport

[reddy52]

11:38 PM on 06/13/2012

You want to cut off benefits to large farms only? But then the small farms would be getting government money that they don't deserve.

[Magnus Thunderson]

02:08 PM on 06/14/2012

small farms do deserve help with thing like crop insurance low intrest loans on new equipment and crop price insuance as they may sell 100,000 dollars worth of crop a year but have 90,000 in costs is not uncomon so one bad year can put them out of business for no fault of there own

[rocland99]

04:26 PM on 06/13/2012

I have this strange feeling that this chart is biased

[Vlad Drac]

05:57 PM on 06/13/2012

...yeah, towards the truth.....

[Rodger leMonde]

07:30 PM on 06/13/2012

Only in that subsidies are biased.

[liberal07]

04:11 PM on 06/13/2012

In my area most farmers make $100,000 per year and cry all the way to the bank about welfare mothers getting a couple of hundred a month in food stamps.
They get unbelievable tax breaks and most pay little in taxes. To hear them tell it they don't take anything from the government. I was at a 1000 acre farm one time, he was buying crop insurance, half of the premium is paid by guess whom you and me!

[Rodger leMonde]

07:32 PM on 06/13/2012

What size farms do they have to operate to make that kind of money? How much do they have to plow back into next years crop? How much do they lose if they have a bad year?

[olitenup]

08:17 PM on 06/13/2012

They all buy US gov crop insurance.

[liberal07]

10:46 AM on 06/14/2012

The farms in East Central Illinois are big.

[HazelPethigFan]

10:55 PM on 06/13/2012

Farmers pay little in taxes? b-f'ing-s

Oh look....this person was at a farm "one time"

makes you an expert doesn't it?

[liberal07]

10:45 AM on 06/14/2012

I have been around farming all of my life. I have done credit checks on them. I have seen their incomes.

[ALiberalKidd]

02:57 PM on 06/13/2012

There is little need to read this article. The simple truth is that our produces mostly comes from foreign fields, yet for generations, democratic and republican politicians have been paying rich conservative farmers, corporate welfare payments to not growing crops, to help keep food and commodity prices artificially high! And since these are mostly Anglo conservative welfare farm recipients, congress will continue these corporate welfare farm schemes indefinitely!

[Rodger leMonde]

07:37 PM on 06/13/2012

How quaint. Times have changed and not for the better.Most of that subsidy money ends up in off shore accounts in the names of Monsanto, Dow and a couple of other companies. Do some research. This chart is the tip of an iceberg.

[olitenup]

08:18 PM on 06/13/2012

I heartily agree with you on that!

[bbrecht]

09:45 AM on 06/14/2012

Please share some links or more information.