Think tanks across the political spectrum, from the Environmental Working Group to the Heritage Foundation, have extensively pointed out that farm subsidies—originally designed to keep farmers out of poverty—are increasingly funding commercial farms. For example, a researcher for the UC Davis School of Law found that in 2000, 154 farms received checks for over $1 million (15 of which were owned by Fortune 500 companies including Chevron, Dupont, and Westvaco) and the top recipient, Riceland Farms, received over $500 million dollars. The researcher also found that 60% of American farmers, including most fruit, vegetable, and organic farmers, receive no subsidies at all.
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posted 3806 days ago