Farm Program Payments

Written by

PHILIP BRASHER

Washington, D.C. - In a sign of the tougher congressional scrutiny on farm spending, a House panel voted Tuesday to cut off subsidies to the wealthiest producers and to trim payments to cotton growers.

The House Appropriations Committee approved the cuts by voice vote as part of a bill that would reduce spending for the Agriculture Department and the Food and Drug Administration by more than 13 percent for the budget year that starts Oct. 1.

Under the bill, farmers and landowners could have adjusted gross income of no more than $250,000 a year to receive subsidies. Under current law, subsidy recipients can make up to $750,000 in farm income and $500,000 in off-farm earnings.