Reform Federal Agriculture Programs

Liberate to Stimulate Index [2]

With America's economy struggling to roar back to strong growth and a deficit approaching $1 trillion, policy makers need to take a hard look at reforming one of the most wasteful and egregious government programs—the 2008 Farm Bill, which expanded U.S. agriculture support programs significantly, with dire effects.

This nearly $300-billion (over five years) boondoggle paid off every special interest. Farmers got their direct payments, their counter- cyclical payments, their price support loan amounts, their disaster funds, and much more. Cities and towns got their nutrition programs and their food stamps. Environmentalists got their conservation programs, though not as many as they wanted. Energy producers got some biofuel monies.