The federal government has approved several new measures that will impact farmers and are drawing a range of reactions.
The U.S. House passed a global warming bill last summer that could serve to move more farmers toward organic methods in its overall aim to reduce carbon emissions, according to the Duluth News Tribune. Some farmers say the new measures may drive the cost of farming up too much and put them out of business, but others say keeping the government out of farming could lead to missed opportunities.
And dairy farmers are rejoicing at a new Dairy Economic Loss Assistance Payment (DELAP) program approved by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. They will be able to receive a one-time government subsidy proportionately based on the amount of milk their farms produced and sold between February and July, 2009. With the high costs associated with dairy farming, that's good news, they say.
