Heres a soapbox oratory suitable for flaming Ray.

I tend to agree with you that it would not hurt my feelings if they just did away with USDA and the farm programs. I have contended for a long time that farm programs are a social issue, not an economic issue. If all farm programs were cut off today agriculture would survive and actually thrive over time. What would not survive would be about a third of the current farms. Just like in the 80's a bunch would die the death, the ones left would pick up the pieces and prosper.

Agriculture would be fine - just not the third of the farmers that did not make it. So the real question is not an economic one but "is it socially and politically acceptable to loose one third of our farmers?" The answer to date has been "no". If times ever get tough economically here in the USA that answer might someday change. It has in some other countries (ex. New Zealand)

John