Letter: “Yanked” Drought Assistance

Over a Barbecue after Church in Wyoming last July I got to hear about the US Farm Assistance legislation going through the House. Thank you Congressman Nathan Winters of Hot Springs County! By the way Nathan, the burger was delicious!

John Preston, Upper Hunter candidate for Shooters, Fishers and Farmers.

So as I listened to the many sombre assurances from John Barilaro and Gladys Berijiklian that they would stand firmly behind our agricultural producers, lets see how they measure up to the United States Farm Bill of 2014….

So lets just run through a few headline items, the Legislation is 648 pages long:

Price of cattle fell?

Prices and loss in New South Wales are entirely at the farmer’s risk. Meanwhile in Kansas, should the price of the commodity a farm is producing fall by more than 14 percent of its five year rolling average, the producer is paid the difference. Nine month non recourse, interest free loans up to USD$125,000 for the producer to enable them to sell their product at the most favourable time are available on demand. (Price and Risk Coverage Title 1 – Payments & Loans – US Farm Bill 2014)

When disaster strikes….

In Gundy when a feral animal comes down from a National Park and grabs your sheep or disease strikes, it’s at your risk and bad luck. Meanwhile in Oklahoma, your cheque is in the mail up to a maximum of US$125,000 per annum per Farmer. (USFB 2014 Title 1 “Livestock indemnity program”)

When drought strikes in New South Wales you are on your own or hopefully a charity will come to your aid. Meanwhile back at the ranch in Texas, you are covered for the cost of feed and transportation up to US$125,000 per farmer per annum for losses occurring from drought and natural disaster, even if it’s not on your own farm. (USFB 2014 Title 1 “Livestock forage Disaster program”)

Notice that this is legislated assistance also, L-A-W as it were. No Minister can interfere with it. Farmers know exactly where they stand with Government and can manage their risks appropriately.

I could go on……

And tell you about subsidised crop insurance or one of the myriad other programs a US Farmer benefits from. The fact of the matter is by world standards, our farmers receive miserable amounts of assistance to perform an essential function that is, when climate is going their way they are contributors to National income and exports as well as employment.

But what I really want to put paid to is the myth that Australia’s farmers have some special place in the concerns of Government in New South Wales. They do not. All they have seen in some of the worst climate conditions in at least half a century is lip service and crocodile tears. The only way the Premier has gotten behind farming communities this year was to stab us in the back.

Should you care to see current US Farm assistance? Here is the best guide you will find: The Farm Bill.

If Gladys and John Barilaro are the farmers friend in New South Wales, I would not want to see their enemy. Lets see how that works out for them on March 23, 2019.

John Preston
Upper Hunter Candidate
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party