The Department of Agriculture Administration Building sits next to the Smithsonian. It ought to be a museum, too.

Many of those affected by US trade and domestic agricultural policies are among the poorest people on the planet.

The main farm subsidy programs were introduced in the 1930s when many dirt-poor Dust Bowl farmers were in dire straits, as, of course, were many Depression-decimated families in the cities. Since the end of World War II, however, farmers and their families have substantially improved their absolute and relative economic stations. 

Most public discussions of the farm bill renewal process have focused on the direct domestic effects of these policies. But U.S. agricultural subsidies, regulations, and spending programs have significant impacts on global commodity markets, and have therefore come under close scrutiny by U.S. trading partners. The World Trade Organization (WTO)...

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

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...

This volume brings togetheressays that critique recent U.S. agriculture policy and propose alternatives to the current regulatory regime.

This study reviews the contents and implications of major trade agreements, as well as the consequences of failing to secure agricultural trade policy reform.