Farm Commodity Programs: Who Participates and Who Benefits?

Ten percent of the participants in U.S. commodity programs for wheat, feed grains, cotton, and rice received 47 percent of the 1978 payments. Those farmers were the largest participants, having 500 acres or more of crops. The smallest 50 percent of participants received 10 percent of the payments. The $40,000 ceiling on payments to individuals had a negligible effect on the distribution of payments: the limit affected only 0.16 percent of participants, and payments foregone amounted to only 1.33 percent of the total. Proposals to prohibit payments to corporations would not have a significant impact because few corporations grow program commodities