I smell another subsidy amendment for the 2007 (and counting) Farm Bill...

I think our Chinese counterparts have opened up a whole new avenue of payments for farmers.

When next summer's Olympics roll around, the Beijing Weather Modification Office will be poised to intercept incoming clouds, draining them before they get to the festivities. No fewer than 32,000 people nationwide are employed by the Weather Modification Office -- "some of them farmers, who are paid $100 a month to handle anti-aircraft guns and rocket launchers" loaded with cloud-seeding compounds. Some estimate that up to 50 billion tons of artificial rain will be produced by 2010. But Taylor noted that this has resulted in competition between cities to seed clouds first, and bitter acrimony when when region receives water claimed by another. [More]

Another check and and artillery to boot - where do I sign up?

[via Marginal Revolution]

[Return to AgWeb]