Agriculture > agricultural subtopics > U.S. farm policy

Overview:
	The 2002 Farm Act incorporates elements of previous farm bills and includes components designed to provide a safety net for farmers through a new countercyclical income stabilization program. Government payments provide a source of income to the farm sector. Beginning with the 1985 Farm Act and continuing with farm legislation in 1990 and 1996, a series of changes in commodity and other agricultural policies have attempted to move the sector toward market-oriented decisions that are also not "trade-distorting." Against a background of low commodity prices that spurred enactment of five supplemental emergency assistance packages, the new farm bill adds these "safety net" provisions and other new programs to existing policies.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
	Is promotion of international trade agreements a good thing for US agriculture?
	Has NAFTA been good or bad for US farm producers and consumers?
Other Resources and Internet Links
	2002 US Farm Bill: provisions and implications for commodity markets
	Patterns of US Government payments
	Conservation and environmental policy
	Food and Agricultural Policy: taking stock for the 21st Century
	Decoupled payments: implications and importance [pdf]
	Analysis of commodity loan programs and marketing loan provisions