What’s at Stake in the Farm Bill

Americans, their media, even most of their legislators, ignore the farm bill. But what’s at stake is much more than farms and farmers. It’s everything from obesity to immigration, with clean water and land-use in between. The farm bill subsidizes overproduction of soy and corn, but does nothing to promote fresh produce. It makes the most unhealthy foods the cheapest. It has pushed millions of Mexican farmers off their land. It determines what happens on nearly half the private land in America. This story by Michael Pollan in the New York Times Magazine is a good read.