The drought monitor report as of Tuesday, August 13 shows a very slight decrease in drought conditions for the state. However, the percentage of the state in moderate drought increased slightly. Barton County and the area is unchanged in moderate to severe drought. This doesn’t reflect the precipitation we received this week. The six to ten-day outlook (Aug. 20 to 24) indicates a 40 to 50% chance of leaning above normal for temperatures and normal for precipitation. The eight to 14-day outlook (Aug. 22 to 28) indicates a 50 to 60% chance of likely above normal temperatures and a 30 to 40% of leaning below normal for precipitation. Not great for milo, soybeans, alfalfa planting or the upcoming planting for the 2025 wheat crop.
As of today, the next five-year Farm Bill is still in limbo and it appears unlikely to be passed by the end of the year. Let’s not discuss the politics involved today, but rather why do we even have a Farm Bill. And, why there is so much more in it than simply support for agriculture.
The U.S. government started what we now know as the five-year Farm Bill over 90 years ago during the Great Depression. Farmers were leaving the land in significant numbers and the Great Plains were entering the Dust Bowl. However, it’s important to know farmers and ranchers were experiencing hard times as early as the start of the 1920s. The 1910s, especially after the start of WWI, were a boom time for agriculture. The government saw opportunities to sell commodities to the countries of Europe involved in the war and encouraged producers to increase production. In Kansas, farmers were encouraged to break open more of the prairie for wheat production. After the war ended, we were still producing more commodities while Europe’s need for them decreased. This resulted in a large surplus and depressed prices. Add in the start of the Great Depression to exacerbate the problem. People were lacking income and therefore food.
Another factor, as President Hoover left and President Roosevelt took office was the situation of the rest of the world, especially Europe. The Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, coupled with the rise of communists in much of Europe along with great unrest in the U.S. They recognized several problems. One, we needed farmers. Two, we needed a cheap food supply to ease unrest. Three, we needed to address problems like the Dust Bowl and erosion in the Corn Belt along with a need to increase per acre production.
From an economist’s standpoint, the government was preventing the free market from totally working by artificially keeping the number of farmers higher than the market would dictate. And we were purposefully striving to keep production high to keep prices low. And for almost a century it’s worked pretty well as even with current prices, the average American spends a lower percentage of their income on food than almost all other nations. The hunger in this country is caused by other factors.
One last word is in order. Why is most of the money in the Farm Bill today involved in things like supplemental nutrition, WIC, etc.? Two reasons, we have decided people should have adequate food to eat, regardless of income. And, remember, people on farms and ranches make up less than three percent of the population along with states with large urban populations. This helps obtain support for passage.
Dr. Victor L. Martin is the agriculture instructor/coordinator for Barton Community College. He can be reached at 620-792-9207, ext. 207, or martinv@bartonccc.edu.
