In summer, its steep mountainsides shimmer with wildflowers, and glacial rivers irrigate small valley farm fields and orchards, which yield generous crops of peas, potatoes, apples and plums.
The Senate put some of that savings into a suite of generous crop insurance programs that will protect farmers against both natural disaster and market fluctuations.
This time, however, overly generous crop insurance subsidies encourage farmers to take risks with their land and water.
"As written, the farm bill would force 850,000 households -- 1.7 million men, women, children and veterans across America -- to go hungry, even while wealthy agri-businesses continue to get generous crop subsidies," Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn). said during a fiery floor speech Monday night.
It is telling that many on the left and the right are content to grant farmers generous and expanded crop insurance.
We're also expecting a generous selection of crops, badly timed tackles and fat blokes having to take a rest five minutes after kick off.
Although the climate adds a layer of difficulty to daily life, the land is a generous source of crops and materials, including vast reserves of oil, gas, and precious metals.
Although the bill remains overly generous to commodity crop farmers, the most egregiously indefensible subsidy payments are ending and the bill now requires farmers to observe conservation compliance.
The government showers such crops with generous subsidies and price supports.
As well as poisoning coca plants with aerial spraying - a controversial approach that sometimes destroys food crops - generous grants ease rural communities out of the grip of drugs.
