[img_assist|nid=1628|title=John Stephen discussing food prices|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=420|height=315] 

LONDONDERRY- Standing outside a Market Basket supermarket congressional candidate John Stephen laid out his plan to deal with rising food prices.

"Congress must act now to stop driving-up food prices, which are creating serious economic issues for many families of America," Stephen (R-Manchester) said. "Congress can act now. The farm bill which just passed Congress takes us exactly in the wrong direction. It continues farm subsidies, it continues price targets and it encourages farmers to grow on bad lands."

Stephen's plan would eliminate ethanol mandates and subsidies, eliminate farm subsidies, eliminate target prices for crops, stop paying farmers for using bad land and use federal prisoners to grow crops on prison land that can be donated to low-income senior nutrition programs.

To deal with the rising cost of food prices, Congressional Democrats have purposed rising the price of food stamps. However, Stephen said that he would support increasing the money allocated for food stamps.

"If Congress gets away from trying to control the market and let the market control itself that you'll see the price of food go down and you won't have to be talking about increasing the food stamp commodity price," he said.

Stephen is competing in the 1st Congressional District primary against former Congressman Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro). The winner will face Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (D-Rochester).