The Ruminant is not a happy cow.

The Farm Bill crafted by the House Agriculture Committee and mistakenly embraced by Democratic leaders would provide little new funding to protect California's grasslands from development.

That puts us in a bad mooooooood.

Grasslands are under siege. In the last 20 years, more than 14 million acres of pasture — or roughly 10 percent of all pasture in America – have been converted to grow corn or condos. California's grasslands are especially threatened by pressure from development.

But, the "reform" Farm Bill supported by some Californians would provide less than $300 million to protect grasslands from development.

By contrast, the Farm Bill that will come to the floor this week would provide more than $30 billion to subsidize large commercial farmers in the Midwest during a time of record prices and net worth.

The Ruminant would have to be smoking grass to support a Farm Bill that provides unlimited subsidies to 99.9 percent of America's farmers and that would continue to reject thousands of farmers and ranchers offering to protect grasslands. 

Seems like some "leaders" are more interested in cash cows that California cows.  Fortunately, House reformers will offer amendments to increase funding for the Grasslands Reserve Program.

That makes California cows happy.