There’s nothing trivial about the necessities and abuses of farming subsidies. One would need to be experienced and certainly well-informed to make sense of it all.
Regrettably, I cannot recall the details of the article, but in summary, it argued lobbying and regulations inevitably changed the Country’s eating habits for the worse. The initial timeframe was the 1950s IIRC.
The web is a great tool, but much of the reality of the world existed before the web. And things prior to WWII seem to be almost ignored.
My memory (am 73) and those of my brother are the only people in my family who can retell stories and legends of the time before my Grandparents. I have lots of photos and incomplete understanding of who all of the people in them are.
When my brother and I are gone, those real world connections will end. (unless they are written down)
We still have a one row planter that was drawn behind a wagon (1 of 3) from Coryell County, when my ancestors came here in 1889. The steel wheels still roll freely on the axle, and we have the planter box and plates stored in a barn. The wooden tong on it is in need of replacing, and the spring that holds the seat needs replacing. Otherwise it is in great shape.
My brother and I own one farm that has been in the family for 130 years.
The Federal and State Agriculture Departments are run by bureaucrats. The people who work for them are largely clueless about what it takes to grow a crop or raise cattle. And they simply don’t care, but some of them have ego’s that would indicate otherwise. Plant computers on top of that, and constant tracking of ever detail of life, you have created a monster that is both stupid and powerful. Detached from reality.
I did not touch on the subject of GMO seed and the hooks that go along with it. Talk about medicine that has not been fully tested?
That one needs honest careful analysis of the consequences.
Dollars and cents do not tell the full story of that.