Letter: State grants for high-priced food?
A man shops for Tropicana juices in a grocery store in Niles, Ill. (Dec. 1, 2004) Credit: Getty Images
Why in the world is the Empire State Development agency giving away $61,400 to a chicken farmer in Mattituck ["Chicken farm gets state grants to expand," Business, May 27]?
The farm won an additional $22,000 from the state's New Farmers Grant Fund.
Browder's Birds raises chickens selling for $7 to $8 a pound. Let's get real. The state should be awarding grants to farmers who can produce a chicken for $1.25 to $1.50 per pound. How many people do you know who go into a supermarket and pay $40 for a 5-pound raw chicken?
I'm glad they didn't mention the cost of a dozen eggs. That would have made me really angry.
The article quotes co-owner Chris Browder as saying, "We don't have enough product to meet the demand." I'm pleased to know the business is thriving. Why are we burdening taxpayers by giving farm grants for expensive specialty foods, when the average citizen is having difficulty placing sensibly priced food on his or her table?
Sheldon Rybak, West Hempstead
