Farm Bill - National Milk Producers Federation

To me, it is interesting to look one or two layers below the article in the popular press and examine the underlying data and research.  Here we are in the fall of 2011 and the USDA's Farm Bill is pending and is probably going to be impacted by the action of the "super committee".  Clearly, the preceding sentence is a monumental understatement.

The Western Farm Press published a story on 23-September-2011 entitled the "Proposed dairy legislation full of hidden costs?"  The last line of the story had a hot-link to the underlying research.  Counting the cover page and the biography of the author, it is 15 pages of commentary that includes translations of the acronyms associated with the dairy-related programs in the current Farm Bill.  For example, SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and was formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. 

Just reading the report's assumptions, comments on data availability, and description of the entity funding the research provides the reader with insight into the mechanics of formulating policy in DC.  

 For some, it is immensely interesting to examine the support data, identify the players, and agent-lobbyists. 

In closing, I would not have been motivated to spend the time, if I had not had the opportunity to learn about the mechanics of policy formulation at a recent training institute sponsored by a national professional association.