A Brief History of U.S. Agricultural Policy and the Farm Bill

• Author: William S. Eubanks II
• Pages: 1-12

Page 1

Chapter 1

A Brief History of U.S. Agricultural Policy

and the Farm Bill

William S. E ubanks II

A

historical perspective is helpful in understanding past events as they relate to current circumstances

and in divining where that history, in conjunction with innovation and common sense, will lead

us in the future. Nowhere is this concept more salient than in our nation’s agricultural framework,

which has been embedded into the founding principles of our country since its beginning. e rich history

of our agricultura l system—which ha s at dierent times served vastly d ivergent goals—continues to con-

jure iconic images in the minds of most Americans a nd inuences the public’s perception of agriculture in

the 21st century. erefore, because there are few facets of America n society where William Shakespeare’s

admonition that “what’s past is prologue” is more pertinent, this chapter provides a brief historical overview

of agricultural policy as it has adapted to satisfy shifting demands and new technologies, and its role in

shaping not only the current farming system and the rural economy, but also the value which we ascribe to

our natural resources relative to agricultura l production.

A. How Our Agricultural Policy Has Evolved: A Nation’s Time Line Through an

Agricultural Prism

In the more than two centuries since U.S. independence, our nation’s deep agrarian roots have had a

profound inuence on our increasingly c omplex federal farming and food policies that have attempted to

adapt over time to meet the prevailing needs of farmers, consumers, and ultimately the national economy.

However, these policies have often aimed to address short-term objectives rather tha n long-term stability

and sustainability of our food supply, and thus the u nderlying and sometimes contradictory policies have

led to confusion among farmers and consumers alike. e following discussion provides a backdrop of

watershed moments in our agricultural policy history in order to provide a richer c ontext to what other-

wise might appear to be little more than an enigmatic set of policies devoid of a coherent purpose. To the

contrary, as this history demonstrates, our policies have in fact been carefully yet exibly crafted to address

market conditions and other economic and social concerns existing at a given time, but too often have

succumbed to budgetary short-sightedness and the lack of an integrated approach tak ing into full account

many important noneconomic concerns such as natural resource protection, nutrient-rich food production,

and consumer demand.

1. From Jeffersonian Agrarianism to the Great Depression

Our nation’s roots are inextricably intert wined with farming. Soon after the British colonies declared

independence from England in 1776, omas Jeerson and other political leaders encouraged —indeed,

advocated—a “national agrarian identity” for the new nation.1 Jeerson envisioned the United States a s

1. D K, I.  A.  T P’  L K, T M P, A N A P   U

S 6 (2003) [hereinafter K  K, A N A P], available at http://www.mnproject.org/pub-sustainableag.html.

is chapter is, with permission, an updated and adapted version of an article previously published as William S. Eubanks II, A Rotten System: Subsi-

dizing Environmental Degradation and Poor Public Health With Our Nation’s Tax Dollars, 28 S. E. L.J. 213 (2009). Copyright © 2009 by the

Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.