Big Bucks in Farming

It may not be new news, but Carpe Diem highlights a great database on farm subsidies showing “fewer than 5% of congressional districts (19 out of 435 districts, or 4.35%) accounted for almost half (49.7%) of crop subsidy program spending in the U.S. between 2003 and 2005.” (link,; for the database, (link)).

He didn’t go into detail but it’s okay with me if he wants to get under the hood here and smoke out some particulars. For example, how many are Republican? Not all, surely but I bet quite a few. Just at a scan, I can see that the list includes the poster boy of libertarianism, Ron Paul (#39 with $262 million); also Former Speaker Denny Hastert (#45 with $212 million); and, okay to be fair, Palookaville’s own voice in Washington, Wally Herger (#25 with $340 million).

The champ? Oddly enough, it is not a Louisiana sugar plantation, but the Nebraska third district, the western two thirds of the state of Nebraska, which gobbled up $1.737 billion. Divided up among 51,702 recipients, that pencils out to an average of $33,595 each, but my guess is that the distribution is decidedly non-average.

The proud representative of these horny-handed sons of the soil is one Adrian Smith. Smith is a first-termer, boasts that in the state legislature he “quickly earned a reputation as a champion of conservative values ... [He] voted against tax increases, voted to protect the right of gun ownership, and maintained a strong pro-life record” (link).

Wiki says that “approximately one-third of the funding of his campaign came from the Club for Growth, an economic conservative group that supports tax cuts, limited government, school choice, and advocates eliminating all agricultural subsidies and the elimination of the US Department of Agriculture” (link). Wiki also says that it is “one of the most Republican districts in the nation”—Democrats came close to capturing it only twice (the most recent, when Smith won in 2006).

Update: I feel obscurely drawn back to this subject. Killing time, I've now perused the record for #2, Jerry Moran, Republican of Kansas. Turns out his district is in principle the same as Smith's--the vast western hinterland of his state. But Moran, unlike Smith, is fairly explicit that he's there to put his hand in the troughl (link):

In the house, Moran is a leading advocate for protecting and preserving the way of life in Kansas. … Moran focuses on legislation that will allow Kansas farmers and ranchers to remain viable.

Trans: Belly up, boys, party's on Uncle. In fact, Moran brings home $1.316 billion, for 75,802 recipients. That's 3.8 percent of the total, meaning that Smith and Moran between them knock back 8.8 percent of the grand total.

Update to Update: But wait folks, there's more. Here is Tom Latham, #3 (lin):

Since his very first day in Congress, Tom Latham has been dedicated to the ideals of change in Washington. His Iowa values and common sense are a testament to the work he strives to accomplish such as the promotion of individual liberty, economic opportunity, personal responsibility, and a smaller and smarter federal government.

Translated:$1.289 billion for 35,696 recipients; tht's 3.7 percent of the total and a running tab of 12.5%.