Politico [Agriculture Week] published an article stating that lawmakers and ag economists are scratching their heads about President Joe Biden’s proposal to boost farm subsidies as a way to increase U.S. crop production and counteract global food shortages stemming from Russia’s war in Ukraine. Senior research fellow Joseph Glauber said, “I don’t think that this sort of intervention from the government makes any sense, other than to read it in a pure political sense, that this is something they feel like they need to do.” Even some Republicans who argue the U.S. needs to increase crop production to fill supply gaps, and who have criticized Biden for not doing more to support farmers facing steep input costs, are wondering how much the new proposal will help. Like Glauber, they’re especially skeptical about the use of loan rates as incentives to increase production.
Behind Biden’s plan to bump up farm subsidies (Politico–Agriculture Week)
May 05, 2022