What's cropping up this year. (insurance, how much, subsidized)

[rickers]

Last year it was this nasty little pest that cost Montana grain farmers a lot of money. The Wheat Stem Sawfly.



This year it looks like this windblown mite is spreading the Wheat Streak Mosaic virus in our area. Ugly little things aren't they.

[Kristynwy]

oh wow! Amazing how much damage those little buggers can cause...

[rickers]

I could be wrong but I thought I read somewhere that in 2008 the Wheat Stem Sawfly cost Montana grain farmers $100,000.00 in crop losses. Next year well find out how much these virus spreading mites have cost them. I really should say "us" not "them" when talking about these losses because when we get a poor grain crop for whatever reason it's the prices of bread, beer and other products that are affected by crop diseases and we all lose out a bit. Between insect pests, unpredictable weather and noxious weeds, I seeing farming as a fairly risky business.

[Reziac]

With most businesses, in the event of some disaster you can cut your losses for the time being, lay off people, shut down the plant, whatever you need to wait it out. But with farming you don't have that option. Every day the fields need irrigating and the cattle need feeding whether you're making any money or not. You're either spending money or out of business, and that's true whether there's money coming in the future or not. If an automaker shuts down and leaves cars half-built on the assembly line, they don't need to be fed or watered even while no money is being made. Can't do that with cows, they eat whether you can sell 'em or not.

So, yeah... durn risky business. But the most necessary of ALL businesses, since everyone's gotta eat no matter what.

[Gman2007]

With most businesses are you going to get subsidized by the government for shutting down your plant or not producing a certain product? No, most business are left to their own. Farmers have MANY government programs available to them through feast or famine not to mention crop insurance. Sure, when disaster strikes, the insurance probably doesn't kick in as much as a good crop would but it's not like the old days of the share croppers....

All these programs help and encourage growth of larger corporate family farms while leaving the small town operator out the equation. I recently talked to a local farmer and he told me he absolutely disagrees with many of the subsidy programs but he has to sign up for them in order to be competive with the guy next door who signed up for them too! That's understandable...

How Farm Subsidies Harm Taxpayers, Consumers, and Farmers, Too

Any subsidy given is public domain - all in a searchable database:

EWG || Farm Subsidy Database

Agreed. Risky business AND one of the MOST needed businesses!!