Farm Bill Frequently Asked Questions "The ELCA and the Farm Bill" Brochure (text) (pdf ) Hunger and the Farm Bill Fact Sheet (text) (pdf ) Religious Working Group on the Farm Bill Statement of Principles Take the Food Stamp Challenge! Join Faith Farm Teams ELCA Advocacy: Farm Bill Home

Frequently Asked Questions

6. What progress has the Farm Bill made in building a stronger rural America?

When the Farm Bill was first introduced in the 1930s, nearly one in four families depended on farming for income (21.5%^)1. Subsidies for certain commodities were intended to help farmers in an unstable market and keep rural America vibrant through supporting the local industry.

Today however, only 1.9 percent of the employed U.S. workforce is involved in agriculture. States receiving some of the highest levels of commodity payments including Iowa, Illinois and North Dakota actually had the largest rural population losses between 2000 and 2005: an indication that subsidies areas are not linked to sustainable rural communities.²

Farming and ranching can no longer be counted on to form the backbone of many rural communities, which means that other, critical programs are needed to ensure a vibrant, diverse and healthy rural economy. Yet rural development programs received less than one percent of the total funding for the 2002 Farm Bill.

Current rural development programs include support for:

• Hospitals
• Water systems and other infrastructure in rural communities
• The Value Added Producer Grants Program, which encourages farm economy entrepreneurship
• Programs to increase broadband communications capabilities in rural areas

Groups representing rural America argue this part of the Farm Bill must be strengthened and better focused on economic development in order to address rural poverty and population decline.

¹ USDA (ERS) Economic Information Bulletin #3; The 20th Century Transformation of U.S. Agriculture and Farm Policy.
² Rural America at a Glance, 2006 Edition (USDA, Economic Information Bulletin Number 18,
August 2006 http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib18/eib18.htm)

->Next: What voice does the Lutheran church lend to discussion and debate about the Farm Bill?

Learn More

Farm Bill Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Farm Bill?
2. What are subsidies and commodities?
3. What solutions does the Farm Bill offer in addressing hunger in this country?
4. How does the Farm Bill address conservation and protection of land?
5. How does U.S. farm policy impact farmers at home and around the globe?
6. What progress has the Farm Bill made in building a stronger rural America?
7. What voice does the Lutheran church lend to discussion and debate about the Farm Bill?

Download "The ELCA and the Farm Bill" Brochure

Hunger and the Farm Bill Fact Sheet (text) (pdf )

Religious Working Group on the Farm Bill Statement of Principles

Get Involved

Join Faith Farm Teams

Join the ELCA Farm Bill online discussion on LutherLink
(If you are not yet a member of LutherLink, you can register here.)

Take the Food Stamp Challenge!

June 2007