Some farmers benefit from subsidies amid calls for reform
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CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. - The U.S. government gives billions of dollars every year in subsidies to American farmers – much of that undoubtedly for good reason. But an Oregon congressman is among those raising questions about the future of these subsidies and the farm bill.
Paul Staehly is one of the farmers who benefits from the farm bill subsidies.
At Staehly’s organic dairy farm in Clackamas County, one of the key challenges is managing manure.
He gets help with that from the rest of us via the federal government: tens of thousands of dollars in conservation subsidies that he says helps him store the waste in a more environmentally friendly way.
KATU recently met with Staehly and asked him about taking federal subsidies in the current political climate.
“There’s a lot of talk in Congress about cutting down our expenses and cutting down on debt. Has it been difficult for you over the years to take help from the government when those kinds of conversations are going on?” asked KATU On Your Side Investigator Anna Canzano.
“I guess the way I look at it is that if I can make my operation better and be more compliant with environmental regulations, I'm using it to the benefit of everybody,” Staehly answered. “As far as feeling guilty about it, no not really because it's not something I'm taking every day. It's something I take once and utilize it.”
But KATU news found that's not entirely true.
Staehly's operation has received $74,000 in subsidies for conservation measures, but more than twice that amount, $200,233 in straight farming handouts known as commodity subsidies.
It is money he gets whether or not he grows corn – money that supports him if the price of milk drops below a certain level and he loses income.
Staehly’s received $275,000 in all since 1995 – more than any other farmer in Clackamas County.
“It's there for anybody. It's not that we're the only ones,” Staehly said. “I've heard people talk about it like raindrops from Heaven, or gold coming from heaven.”
He’s right.
In Multnomah County, JD Ranch on Sauvie Island tops the list. It’s collected $425,000.
Owner David Fazio didn't want to go on camera, but told KATU over the phone he doesn't even know why he gets the money, and "if the government's stupid enough to give it out, I'll take it."
In Washington County, the biggest subsidy has gone to Berger farms – almost a million dollars since 1995. When KATU News stopped in to talk with them, we found a house that looks abandoned, save for a shivering beagle.
Calls and messages to the Bergers went unreturned.
In comparison, Anne Berblinger is an organic farmer near Forest Grove who would love that same kind of cash from the federal government. Her crops, sold at farmers markets, don't qualify because they’re not considered commodities.
Her crops include broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and collards.
“Fruits and vegetables in general are specialty crops. Isn't that funny?” said Berblinger with a chuckle.
Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer is pushing to cap the farm bill handouts at $125,000 a year per entity in part because some people who receive them aren't farmers at all. They're just investors who buy the land with the subsidy attached.
“Right now we're spending too much to give to the wrong people to do the wrong things. We have agriculture subsidy payments being sent to pro athletes in New York and Chicago,” said Blumenauer.
They have included millionaires like former Portland Trail Blazer Scottie Pippen, even billionaires like Blazers owner Paul Allen, and Mark Rockefeller, an heir to the famed Rockefeller fortune. He owns property in Idaho that he's actually paid not to farm.
The majority of Oregon farmers – 87 percent – don't receive any kind of subsidy.
Of those who do get farm subsidies, just ten percent of them have collected 72 percent of the handouts. That's added up to 1-point-1 billion dollars since 1995.
To further research farm subsidies in Oregon and Washington, visit the Environmental Working Group Farm Subsidy Database.
