Why should government subsidize agriculture, particularly small scale farming as seen in a variety of places in New York? There are several reasons to want to do that and for the sake of this essay we will examine the five most pressing reasons for protecting agriculture subsidies and pressing for ones that focus our energy towards improving the agricultural society.

Cultural Diversity

Diversity doesn't stop at having multiple skin colors in society. We need to have people with different backgrounds and experiences, to provide a diverse number of opinions that will strengthen our country's democracy. Whether you spend your day riding around on the tractor or painting paintings or making big deals in the stocket market, you should be an invaluible part of society. Your opinion should matter and you should be able to presue your dreams on the farm or off it.

No Farms No Food

You got to love that farm bureau bumpster-sticker even if it's irrelevant today. Traditionally the reason for protecting farming was to ensure a strong food supply. Yet, it seems with the industrial methods of food production used by mega-farms it would be unlikely that food would cease to be produced in far lesser quanities then it current is produced. If there is a demand for a product, then it will be produced though probably at a slightly higher price.

Protect Culture

Farms have unique cultures. Creatures that tend to hang out at cattle auctions and tractor pulls are truly unique people from those who live in suburbs or big cities. Hard work on farms builds character and values, and encourages people to live moral lives. It also creates a populous who is deeply connected to the eartth and whose respect of mother nature will ultimately decide how successful they are over the long run.

Protect Open Space

We need open space for a variety of reasons. We need a place for wildlife to life, such as evil deer grazing on people's crops. Open space looks pretty, and it absorbs rain and other containments far better then our cities. While cities have a lot of people and pollution, most farms have relative little of those things. Farms are green buffers of land, that not only have an economic benift to society but also benifit nature over urbanized areas.

Tax Base

Another infamous farm bureau statement: "you don't have to educate cows". Yet, you can sure tax cows pretty heavily as they take up a lot of land. Farmers get a break on taxes, but they also pay a lot for the hundreds of acres they own. Not to mention farms tend to consume little in muncipal services, requiring minimal roads for all the land they take up, few require muncipal services like sewage and water, and they produce little waste that isn't disposed of on the land.