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First, surpluses. The Farm Program is calculated to produce surpluses every year, and that’s usually easy to do, simply relax the controls a bit and the farmers will deliver enough grain to satisfy domestic use, exports, and extra grain in the bins throughout the year. The government even pays a subsidy to farmers to build storage, encouraging even more grain on hand.

So, you're saying that it's the government that forces the poor farmer to produce a surplus? That normally, the farmer would just plow enough land to feed himself and his family?

So, you're saying that it's the government that forces the poor farmer to produce a surplus?

Yeah, I wasn't very clear about that. The Farm Programs are designed in such a way that the farmer, whose natural desire is to produce as large a crop as he can from his farm, will produce more than the US consumer will need.

That happens through several different types of production incentives, such as price floors, storage payments, and extra money if the crop is sold at a certain time during the year. But all this isn't available if the farmer doesn't abide by other restrictions, such as a certain maximum acreage for some crops, or a specified ratio of corn/beans etc.

That normally, the farmer would just plow enough land to feed himself and his family?

I don't know what you mean by 'normally'? Since the 50's we've had huge surpluses. Not sure if that helps.

See my tagline.