Tiny farmers unite!

The largest farmers, we have learned, will have their commodity subsidies cut in the Obama proposed budget.

When I heard "the largest farmers" I had visions of inflated figures - like Macy's parade balloons - in blue overalls, straw hat and red bandanna - all puffed up and looming over a landscape of rice, corn or cotton.

Whyever do we speak of big farmers and small farmers - when what we mean is farmers working a lot of acreage, versus farmers working on a small scale. Would a small farmer be like a Lego figure down on the farm? I'm surprised that farmers don't protest these adjectives of scale.

I recall when some of us realized in the 80s that we weren't working with small congregations, but tiny ones - since ours were smaller that what most people think of when they think small. But is there really any such thing as a small congregation? There are some with an attendance of 20 or 30 on Sundays who make a real difference in their communities, and would be sorely missed. And there are some who see 100 or 200 on Sunday who think small.

Surely a farmer's size is irrelevant to the quality of the farming s/he does.

But I am glad about the proposed subsidy change. I hope the Pres succeeds with this.