Subsidies

<a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/09/25/build/state/30-trade-pact.inc" target="_blank">This article</a> sure will open your eyes about agricultural subsidies in the state of Montana.<br />n<br />n<i>Fifty percent of the net income in 2003 in Montana was from government subsidies</i><br />n<br />nI am not here to argue the merit to government subsidies for farmers. I personally quit wheat farming a number of years ago because even with the subsidies all I was doing was losing money. The books for the ranch are a whole lot prettier now that I don't farm wheat.<br />n<br />nJust think how that money affects the state of Montana though. The article states that "the average job pays $26,900, the worst wages in the country." A lot of that money for wages comes from farmers. If the article is right and farm subsidies are cut by 20% how is that going to affect the overall Montana economy since agriculture is one of Montana's top industries? Not very well.<br />n<br />nJust something to think about is what my point is. How to help Montana farmers is a question I don't have the answer to. The government has been subsidizing them for many years and it doesn't seem to help very much. There has been talk for years about producing ethanol with wheat but it never seems to get off the ground. The reason for that is the price of gas is still cheaper than producing ethanol and using it, so ethanol is not economically viable at this time. Mostly I think farmers have to help themselves. Either get out of those businesses that need such large subsidies or brand their product like <a href="http://www.mounterra.com/montanawheat/" target="_blank">Wheat Montana</a> and make a thriving business out of it. Tough choices but it might be necessary.<br />n<br />n<b>The government&acirc;