PolitiFact.com
Statements about Agriculture
Jeff Merkley

Jeff Merkley

True

But not every state has large commercial operations

Christmas trees are grown in all 50 States.

Rick Perry

Rick Perry

Pants on Fire!

Perry was there

Says Texas did not bail out a loan program he oversaw as state agriculture commissioner.

Bloggers

Bloggers

Mostly False

Christmas tree people wanted it before Obama was in office

Obama creates new tax on Christmas trees, fees get passed on to consumers.

Adam Putnam

Adam Putnam

Half-True

Snail can carry parasite, but no sign it's in Fla.

Says the giant African land snail "carries human meningitis."

Matt Gaetz

Matt Gaetz

Mostly True

Expert says exactly that — but he's in minority

"A Cornell University research study concludes that ethanol generates a 29 percent energy loss, meaning it takes more than a gallon of gasoline to produce a gallon of ethanol."

Rick Perry

Rick Perry

False

Rural legend

Says the government wants to require farm tractor drivers to hold commercial driver’s licenses even if they’re just crossing a single public road.

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin

False

Where's the beef on this claim?

Slim Jims "just recently" cost 99 cents but now cost $2.69.

Renewable Fuels Association

Renewable Fuels Association

Mostly False

Based on an unrealistic assumption

Ethanol reduced gas prices by 89 cents per gallon in 2010, and if ethanol disappeared, gas prices could rise by as much as 92 percent.

George Allen

George Allen

Full Flop

Back where he started

On subsidies for ethanol production.

Wisconsin Corn Growers Association

Wisconsin Corn Growers Association

Half-True

It holds down pump prices, but you also pay up from another pocket

"Without ethanol, gas prices would be at least 15% higher. With gas at four bucks, that means you’re saving 12 bucks on a 20 gallon fill up."

Glenn Hegar

Glenn Hegar

False

Hooked us

Texans eat more catfish than residents of all other states combined.

Adam Putnam

Adam Putnam

Mostly True

Growers tax themselves to regulate their industry

"All the money the Department of Citrus has is paid for by the citrus growers. You don't save dollars by eliminating the Department of Citrus."

Jamie Radtke

Jamie Radtke

Mostly False

Don't just blame Bernanke

Federal Reserve policies have led to a 69 percent rise in corn prices, 44 percent rise in wheat prices and 15 percent spike in sugar prices over the last year.

Todd Staples

Todd Staples

Mostly True

Numbers are off, idea is right

"On average, Americans spend less than 10 percent of their disposable income on food. Compare that to folks in Mexico, who spend 22 percent, China, 28 percent and Russia, 37 percent."

New Georgia Encyclopedia

New Georgia Encyclopedia

True

Peach state lawmakers go hog-wild for feral pig the night before the session starts

Georgia lawmakers fuel up for the session by feasting on "wild" hogs.

John McCain

John McCain

True

McCain hit this earmark right on the nose

Earmarks requested in a federal spending bill included  "$277,000 for potato pest management in Wisconsin."

Tom Coburn

Tom Coburn

False

There are at least 25 times as many

There are "10 or 20 deaths a year from foodborne illness" in the United States.

Jim Zehringer

Jim Zehringer

True

Agriculture remains important to Ohio's economy

"Ohio is losing over 700 family farms a year, some of them just to pay the inheritance tax."

Bloggers

Bloggers

Pants on Fire!

Backyard gardens remain your own bit of paradise.

New food safety legislation will regulate backyard gardening.

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin

Mostly False

Palin's wrong, but we see why she thought what she did

Grocery prices "have risen significantly over the past year or so."

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