Plowing ground in Washington

the long version

In Plowing Ground in Washington B. Delworth Gardner explores the wasteful and perverse consequences of our current agricultural policy. Farm subsidies reduce our standard of living and redistribute income from taxpayers and consumers to farmers and landowners who are typically richer than average Americans. In effect, we pay twice: first in taxes to provide subsidies, and then at the grocery store in the form of higher prices due to the distortion subsidies cause in the marketplace. Moreover, farm subsidies have serious environmental consequences that are often forgotten in the debate about farm policy. Gardner's reasoned argument for government reform in the agricultural sector is both powerful and compelling.