McDaniel noncommittal on farm subsidies during Delta visit

State Sen. Chris McDaniel spent Friday afternoon in the Mississippi Delta.

Addressing whether he would support federal farm subsidies if he's elected to the U.S. Senate was not on the agenda.

A 10-minute press conference in the home of a Cleveland businessman did little to reveal if farm subsidies were among the federal spending cuts on which McDaniel has built his campaign. The media time came after McDaniel addressed a group of farmers, none of whom would agree to be interviewed.

"We're going to make sure Mississippi's farmers have everything they need to be successful," McDaniel said. "We're going to make sure that industry grows along with the rest of our state's industries, as we create an environment for growth."

"I've answered the question," McDaniel said, in response to a follow-up that asked if that growth would include federal subsidies.

According to the USDA, 41 percent of Mississippi farms received subsidies from 1995-2012. Of that number, 10 percent received 85 percent of the $8.2 billion in total payments in that period. The average annual payment to that 10 percent was $50,000.

McDaniel would not say if he addressed subsidies with the farmers before the press conference. "Agricultural concerns," is all he'd reveal about his talk with them.

McDaniel has encountered criticism from Sen. Thad Cochran and his supporters for McDaniel's aversion to federal money flowing into Mississippi. Former Gov. Haley Barbour said earlier this week that McDaniel had not offered a way to make up for billions of dollars in federal education funds, should they evaporate.

McDaniel also addressed a pro-Cochran PAC that recently received $250,000 from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is among the most ardent gun control advocates in the U.S.

"Michael Bloomberg is anti-Second Amendment and anti-Mississippi values, and the Mississippi Conservatives PAC is using his money to perpetuate liberalism in this state," McDaniel said, referring to the PAC controlled by Barbour.

Contact Clay Chandler at (601) 961-7264 or cchandler@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @claychand on Twitter.