The United States Farm Bill
This website details key aspects of the practice of agricultural subsidies and the 2007 Farm Bill - our most current incarnation - which is undergoing intense debate in Washington. The previous 2002 Farm Bill partially expired in September, and the new $286 billion legislation just passed on December 14th in the Senate. It will now be reconciled with the House version, which was passed in July. Many called for multiple amendments that would limit the subsidies paid to farmers of commodity crops; these included the Dorgan-Grassley amendment (withdrawn), the Klobuchar-Brown-Durbin amendment (withdrawn), and the Lugar-Lautenberg FRESH amendment (failed). A complete summary of the 2007 Farm Bill can be found here.
The farm bill will strengthen the farm economy over the long term. It helps farmer independence, and preserves the farm way of life for generations. It helps America's farmers, and therefore it helps America." -President Bush, 2002