Thanks to trade wars, climate disruptions, and depressed commodity prices, the number of family farms that went bankrupt in the US was up 19% in 2019. That is despite billions of dollars of subsidies. Without the subsidies, the bankruptcies would be worse. The subsidies are significant enough to account for one-third of net farm income. In general, the economy is seen as recovering, but major significant sectors aren’t properly measured by looking at stock market reports. There is no reason to expect 2020 to be much different, unless certain government policies change as rapidly as a tweet, something that’s now common.
source: U.S. Farm Bankruptcies Hit An Eight-Year High: Court Data – Reuters
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Farm subsidies are hardly a crutch, much less a boon, for family farmers. “Subsidies act like a regressive tax that helps high-income businesses, not poor rural farmers. Most of the money goes toward large agribusinesses…62% of U.S. farms did not receive any subsidies.” https://www.thebalance.com/farm-subsidies-4173885
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