# What is the justification for farm subsidies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 4, 2019, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-justification-for-farm-subsidies/827179 "2019-01-04T03:55:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2019, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-justification-for-farm-subsidies/827179/61 "2019-01-08T17:11:45Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > The justification _often given_ for ag subsidies is ‘food security’. The question is whether there’s much validity to that in justifying levels much higher than what work in Australia/NZ. I would say no, not much validity, unless you can show how those countries suffer from ‘food insecurity’ and/or how higher subsidies in _other_ countries prevent those two countries from suffering ‘food insecurity’. Case in point: > [@](#): > > Grain imports on the cards as drought drives up prices and crop forecasts slashed > **[Applications to import grain as Australian harvest forecasts fall](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-11-01/applications-to-import-grain-into-australia-as-demand-grows/10446916)** > > Australia could be set to import whole grain for the first time in more than a decade, as drought drives up the price of grain. As shown by that example, whatever the downsides, America flooding the world with cheap subsidized corn and wheat has increased the food security worldwide. I am certainly not saying that is 100% a good thing (farmers in the developing world have suffered for it) but it definitely is one of the reason for the increase of the food security worldwide. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2019, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-justification-for-farm-subsidies/827179/62 "2019-01-08T18:52:42Z")
> [@Mirtha](#): > > Their food is frankenfood which requires prescriptions to counter the effects. What foods require prescriptions to counter the effects? Cite, please. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2019, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-justification-for-farm-subsidies/827179/63 "2019-01-08T19:23:41Z")
> [@Mirtha](#): > > Corporate farms aren’t efficient because they require a huge amount of government oversight. I’d like a cite for this as well. According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_farming) > [@](#): > > The 2012 US Census of Agriculture indicates that 5.06 percent of US farms are corporate farms. These include family corporations (4.51 percent) and non-family corporations (0.55 percent). Of the family farm corporations, 98 percent are small corporations, with 10 or fewer stockholders. Of the non-family farm corporations, 90 percent are small corporations, with 10 or fewer stockholders. Non-family corporate farms account for 1.36 percent of US farmland area. Family farms (including family corporate farms) account for 96.7 percent of US farms and 89 percent of US farmland area While the average size of a farm is certainly increasing, and the number of farms is thus decreasing, ‘corporate farming’ isn’t really a thing. Now, many farmers that I know contract with the Cargills of the world to purchase fertilizer and market their crops, but they (the farmers) are still farming the land. They are, in some cases, renting the land from a non-farming-landowner, and that’s the guy who’s getting the subsidy. Most farmers where I live rent on either a cash basis or a percentage of the profits, or some combination thereof. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2019, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-justification-for-farm-subsidies/827179/64 "2019-01-08T21:13:27Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > I’d like a cite for this as well. > > According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_farming) > > While the average size of a farm is certainly increasing, and the number of farms is thus decreasing, ‘corporate farming’ isn’t really a thing. Yeah, I always wondered about that- it seemed to me that distribution was where the money would be- all the profit and very little of the risk. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-justification-for-farm-subsidies/827179.md?page=3)