A truly free market system would negate the need for taxpayer subsidies, especially those that essentially pay farmers NOT to grow crops.
Yes, I agree. However, see my post #24.
Paying farmers NOT to grow crops is a critical, and integral, part of the Cheap Food for Consumers Program.
Without wading into the detail, that program was designed to keep farmers poor and dependent on government payments, and in exchange consumers got low priced food. That scenario worked very successfully for more than 50 years.