USDA Stops Releasing Farm Subsidy Data. So Much for Transparency...

by David Orr · 2010-05-20 12:35:00 UTC
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The Environmental Working Group's farm subsidy database has been one of the most useful tools for beginning to understand — and eventually reform — the convoluted mess that is agricultural policy in this country. The work of EWG has been a classic case of follow-the-money-trail-and-discover-where-it-leads. And in this case, it leads to vastly inequitable spending that benefits the big guy at the expense of the little guy (and taxpayers). Not exactly the type of favorable press the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) or wealthy farm-subsidy recipients want.

According to EWG, "Our 2007 database used previously unavailable records to uncover nearly 500,000 individuals who had never been identified as farm subsidy recipients. Many had been shielded by their involvement in byzantine mazes of co-ops and corporate entity shell games." One of the most notable examples was a Florida real estate developer, reportedly worth $500 million, pulling in nearly $1 million a year in farm subsidies for corn farms he owns in several states.

Here's the kicker: The detailed data that was used to uncover those revelations will no longer be released by the USDA. So much for transparency and accountability.

This all stems from the fact that Congress changed the wording in a provision of the 2008 farm bill from the USDA "shall" release such data to the USDA "may" release such data. Nevertheless, the USDA claims they would still like to release the data, it's just that Congress didn't appropriate the estimated $6.7 million that it could cost to compile the data. They did, however, appropriate an additional $50 million for Farm Service Agency Information Technology Improvements. According to the agency, that money is being used for computer upgrades to modernize the way subsidies are delivered to producers, farmers, and ranchers (read: cut the checks faster).

"So USDA can't find a few million to properly track the billions in taxpayer funds paid out in farm subsidies, but it has plenty of IT money to ensure that the largest and wealthiest operations in America get their checks as fast as possible," EWG writes. Sounds like the USDA needs a little refresher on the Obama Administration's supposed commitment to transparency and accountability. The few million dollars to compile this data is pocket change for USDA, but the billions in farm subsidies is not. Taxpayers deserve to know where that money is going.

Photo: brownpau

David Orr is a sustainable cook, writer and activist.
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