Radio Smart Talk: Farm Show live broadcast

Radio Smart Talk for Friday, January 11:

Radio Smart Talk host Scott LaMar with PA Sec. of Agriculture George Greig.

While the nation was counting down to the deadline before the fiscal cliff last month, another story made the rounds that took many consumers by surprise.  The price of milk would double in 2013 unless Congress passed a new Farm Bill.

The prospect of paying thousands of dollars in higher taxes was bad enough, but shelling out $8 or $9 for a gallon of milk every few days would have put a real strain on millions of family budgets.

Of course, the Congress did act to avoid the budget cuts and tax hikes and they also took action on the Farm Bill -- sort of.  Instead of enacting a new five-year plan, Congress simply extended the current Farm Bill until the end of September.  Almost no one in the agriculture community was satisfied with the extension.

So what does the status quo mean for Pennsylvania farmers?  Apparently, a lot of confusion is one answer. We'll find out on Friday's Radio Smart Talk that will be broadcast live from the Pennsylvania State Farm Show.

The proposal under consideration would have eliminated most direct subsidies to farmers and replaced them with expanded crop insurance.  The bill's supporters say those moves would have cost taxpayers less and been more efficient.  We'll ask how farmers will cope if the changes actually do take place.

Also, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's point man for working with Amish farmers on taking steps to make their operations more environmentally friendly will join us.

Listen to the program: