05/14/2002

The farm bill just signed by the President Bush shows all the courage of a wilted cabbage. Key elections are looming in certain agricultural states, and very few in Congress, it appears, wished to offend. And President Bush has backed away from his campaign rhetoric, in which he espoused letting the marketplace rule.

Instead, what we will have is a return to massive subsidies that benefit the largest growers above all, and that will stimulate overproduction of every crop from wheat to soybeans to cotton. The surpluses will in turn depress prices -- requiring a new round of still more costly subsidies. The pricetag for this orgy is pretty eye-popping. Over 10 years, it will boost spending by $70 billion, to a total of $180 billion.

Not only does the farm bill represent a total retreat from 1996 legislation, which tried to wean farms from burgeoning subsidies. It tacks on some new goodies, and restores some that had been ended. There is new help for lentils, and revived aid for mohair and honey.

Even the extra spending targeted at conservation has a down side: Environmentalists say too many last-minute changes weakened what might have been reasonable protections. And, of course, any program that encourages overproduction is no friend of the Earth.

A $1.3 billion dairy program will help keep New England farms afloat, and is better structured than the old Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact. The bill also expands the Food Stamp program, so that qualified legal immigrants can get the help that so many badly need. But these are the few positives in a bill that stands mainly as a monument to irresponsibility.

Congress might have crafted a plan that kept spending in line, while judiciously helping those farmers most in need. At the same time it could have promoted better environmental practices. Instead, it went overboard, with a plan that handsomely rewards the already-haves, and will spark serious trade frictions with other nations. Americans have better uses for their money than this. And most responsible farmers would agree.