Letter to the Editor: Why are we paying large farm subsidies?

"Farming subsidies in Winneshiek County totaled over 231 million dollars from 1995-2019, according to EWG's farm subsidy database. The top ten recipients were given over 12 million alone.

These figures are baffling, when you consider how little federal funds go to support building our local food systems. Luckily, here in Winneshiek there are so many local producers willing to sell their regeneratively grown produce. But, some of that local food is still too expensive for those with low incomes to purchase.

Instead of funneling our tax money into an industrialized system that contributes to climate change, corporate consolidation, and overproduction, what if we put that money towards a local government subsidy for regenerative farming and a county "Local Food Manager"? The more local the better.

Food produced locally has lower risk of food supply interruptions or backups in the production process. Coronavirus has shown how our vulnerable food system leads to the "Ventilation Shutdown" practices currently being used to cull mass numbers of factory farmed pigs.

It's time for a change. We can all do our part from advocating with our legislators for better policies that put people before corporate profits, supporting local producers, or growing our own local foods."