American farmers were delivered grim news this week as President Obama revealed his deficit reduction proposal, "Living Within Our Means and Investing in the Future," which includes reforms for agriculture subsidies and direct payments to farmers estimated to save American taxpayers some $33 billion annually.

Feeling the pressure of the growing number of small-scale farms and activists concerned with food safety and the effects Big-Ag farming has on the environment, some of the largest U.S. farming groups have joined forces in the formation of new organization called the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance.