Iowa Deregulation Hearings:  Cedar Rapids & Burlington

Written full version of my oral testimony in Burlington.

I’m Brad Wilson, a Springville area farmer, and I sell local food.  I’m the representative from Iowa CCI to the board and executive committee of the National Family Farm Coalition.

I’m a big fan of Norman Rockwell’s painting “Freedom of Speech,” and I appreciate the opportunity to testify orally.  

I’m for balanced regulation.  Some regulations create tremendous wealth and jobs.  Some regulations destroy wealth and jobs.  

WHEREAS, the Commodity Title of the US farm bill is the largest and most important part of the farm bill, in terms of economic impact in the United States and worldwide;1 and

WHEREAS, farm program crops, like corn, wheat, rice, cotton and soybeans, lack price responsiveness on both supply and demand sides,2 leading in the 20th century to chronic low prices, except for three significant price spikes upward;3 and

Do you remember the days of Democratic farm policy?  No farm subsidies.  No cheap corn.  Fair trade, living wage prices for farmers. No export dumping.  The U.S. economy being stimulated by making a profit (instead of losing money) on farm commodity exports (where we dominate the world in volume of export sales). No hidden, off books multibillion dollar annual below cost gains for Cargill & ADM at America’s expense.  No de facto subsidies to transfats and high fructose corn syrup.  No multibillion dollar feed gains to take the value-added of livestock away from diversified farmers and give it to unsustainable, inhumane, economically harmful animal factories.  

Wow!  Those were the days!  Henry Wallace!  FDR!  Harry Truman!  A New Deal!  An end to Hooverism!  

 

Today tough times remind  us of the Depression Roosevelt inherited. Tired of living in “Hooverville?” Had to move in with relatives?  

The farm policies of Branstad and Grassley have hurt our states' economy. They've been bad for wealth creation and jobs creation.  They've been antibusiness and antifarmer. They have not been up to responding to major crises, like the 1980s farm crisis.

 Branstad, for example, argued that there was no farm crisis.  The headline in The Gazette Cedar Rapids, July 10, 1984 “Branstad says Reagan right:  Farmers well off.” 

 Grassley was a major supporter of the Republican Welfare State, corporate welfare, that is. The Reagan farm bill he supported increased farm subsidies, but lowered market prices even more. We exported more, but at a greater loss per bushel (and less total export value).