Press release/summary for The 2007 Farm Bill and Beyond

Since the Great Depression, lobbying by farmers has proved particularly lucrative but has threatened to detach agricultural production from the objective of efficiently producing food for consumers. Today, farm policy consists of an array of subsidies, regulations, spending programs, and land-use restrictions which are widely blamed for the increased cost...

There's a persistent story that farming is on the edge of catastrophe in America and that's why they need safety nets that other people don't get. And the reality is that it's really a very healthy industry.

Up on Capitol Hill, there appears to be progress--bipartisan progress, even--toward changing our immigration laws to reflect current and emerging realities.

Because U.S. agricultural subsidies, regulations, and spending programs have significant effects on global markets, the 2007 farm bill has been the subject of international scrutiny and a source of problems at the Doha round.

The success of agriculture as an industry has provided benefits to producers and consumers alike.

The 2007 Farm Bill willhave negative social and economic effects.