They'll not necessarily get to rent them. The land is now out to fair, open bid, and the farmers can still get them if they are willing to pay (oh, I tremble at the concept of a farmer paying this...) fair market value.
As far as the towns, we have had ghost towns before. Did the government keep subsidizing mining to protect towns then the metals ran out? What about old steel towns in PA? Why do farmers deserve such special consideration?
However, one safeguard that I think would be apropriate is if they require that all funds to lease land with must originate within the state. This would keep large national coffers from unfairly affecting local actions (kind of like when the Christian Coalition descends upon a local school board election that was amateur and low-budget until then).
FDR began tinkering with the prices in the 1940s, but promised "parity" with other prices would be built into such tinkering. (He lied.)
It should be no surprise that Americans pay the least percentage of their income for food than any other country. You would be shocked if you looked at comodity income, (as to what the farmer/rancher gets for raw product,) in comparison with what he got 50 years ago. There is no appreciable difference. It is a scandal.
American farmers are seeing wave after wave of foreign growers dumping on an segment of the industry just like they have done with the steel industry. American growers can't compete and down come permanent orchards, etc. More and more fields are converted to tract housing and suburbs grow bigger and bigger.
Ask Carey Okie....Except for a few subsidized products with price supports, America has become a net importer of food. Think about that...we no longer grow enough food to feed our population. Think about that trend and how it impacts national security. Think about what that means for American international affairs and for trends toward globalization. Think about transfer of wealth to other nations, impact on world environments, health and safety standards for the food you eat, importation of pests.
Under basic economic theories, the entire economy rests on the foundation of supplying raw materials. Every dollar of raw material produced creates at least 7 dollars in the overall economy (value added.) It is the source of real wealth and it is renewable. Can't you see the shift to other countries and how this is affecting our standard of living and economy?
You whine about mechanics and farmers, but that is like comparing apples and rocks. Farmers have talked among themselves for a long time about striking to get a decent return on their product. Unfortunately, they live so tightly, and service such large debt, they can't. I almost wish they would just to bring to urban people's attention the fact that their entire "civilization" and economy rests on the shoulders of these hard-working folks.
websites on "parity": http://www.countrylovin.com/morefacts.html http://www.cnie.org/nle/crsreports/agriculture/ag-60.cfm http://www.normeconomics.org/parity.html http://waysandmeans.house.gov/fullcomm/106cong/4-13-00/4-13powe.htm