Submitted March 25, 2010 to The New York Times

Dear Editor:

It is grossly inaccurate to lump the farm safety net in with other government programs, such as Medicare and Social Security, for which spending continues to grow ("The Perils of Pay Less, Get More," March 17, 2010).

In fact, funding for federal farm policy was cut by $7.4 billion in the 2008 farm bill, and those savings were applied to other initiatives in the legislation—nutrition and conservation, for example. This is not to mention that actual farm safety net spending has come in under the projected budget in seven of the last eight years—an especially impressive feat at a time when budget deficits are swelling in Washington.

Additionally, the farm safety net only accounts for a mere 0.17 percent of federal spending-providing stability to the sector which in turn has yielded us a pretty huge return on investment considering that America has the safest, most affordable, and most abundant food supply in the world.

As such, it is wrong and deceptive to suggest to your readers that their valuable tax dollars are funding an increasing farm safety net, when in fact the opposite is true. At a time when lawmakers are beginning to discuss plans for the next farm bill, and special interest groups with far more resources than America's family farmers could ever hope to have are ramping up their campaigns to weaken farm policy, it is more important than ever that you give American farmers the fair and accurate reporting they deserve.

Sincerely,

Larry Combest
Lubbock, TX
Former House Agriculture Committee Chairman
Spokesman, The Hand That Feeds U.S.