HY - I think grain farming in the US has a guaranteed floor because of crop insurance, how many cattle herds in the US are covered by Revenue Insurance. Most of the billy goat country being farmed is no tilled, because the BTO's farming it would have to plant crops determined by the ISU grads at FSA and prepare a farm operating plan or risk losing their government dole payment. I mean . . . I mean . . . what would they do if they could not take that payment and buy that new pickup to park at the Coop when they go for coffee, and whine.
Even the worst acre of cropland (billy goat country) in Iowa is worth planting just because of the insurance guarantee on it. If it has never been farmed, all a producer has to do is to plant it without insurance one year, and the next year it is eligible for crop insurance.
I wonder how many of those cattle producers who liquidated herds, or had to buy corn stalk bales, brome grass, prairie grass or any other low grade roughage this Winter received a check from their crop insurance agent when they had to go through forced liquidation. You do not even need a farm plan to qualify for crop insurance if you are not in the program. I sure am going to hate seeing those sod buster provisions be unenforceable when farmers stop receiving direct payments after this year.
No one is raising corn or beans for direct payments anyway, with todays prices, those payments are not worth the risk of having USDA coming in to audit your books, or having ISU grads telling you how to farm land you paid for. Just sayin . . . John
