Whither Farm Policy?
美国国会准备追加至少87亿美元农业补助，引发对现行农业政策（1996年FAIR法案）可持续性的质疑，指出缺乏明确目标的临时援助并非良策。
As the U.S. Congress prepares to pump at least $8.7 billion in supplemental aid to farmers (on top of the $10.5 billion that has already been earmarked), many people—both in and out of agriculture—are openly wondering if there isn’t a better way to run farm programs. To many, it seems that we have no coherent farm policy in the sense that tax dollars are being committed with no clear objective in mind. After two straight years of supplemental appropriations, it is clear that the current farm program (the FAIR Act of 1996, commonly known as Freedom to Farm) is not a politically sustainable policy. And, the policy objective of the ad-hoc aid is clouded by the apparent inability of Congress to pass aid packages targeting assistance to the most at-risk farmers.