The rot seems to keep on giving in much of our farm policy. Congress tinkers with the system periodically but not a great deal changes.

Ken Cook, president of Environmental Working Group, said a few months ago, "America’s farm subsidy system is broken." This has been stated before but up until recently the average person would have had difficulty gathering information on America’s farm subsidy programs. It was shrouded in mystery and unclear as to what the rationale might be for passing out taxpayer money.

Something like two-thirds of US farmers do not receive any subsidy payments. Farm program benefits have been highly concentrated and have often not rewarded land stewardship nor encouraged improving the environment. But now there is a web site called MULCH.

You can find out what your congressional representatives are doing in terms of approving farm subsidies and who is receiving them. It’s a step in asking some basic questions like why or why not are we subsidizing certain commodities, why or why not certain farmers (or pseudo-farmers) receive payments, and what is the "nonpolitical" reason(s) for making the decision.

At its worst the farm subsidy program is just another example of welfare capitalism that America can no longer afford. It’s in our self-interest in knowing who is doing what and for whom, especially in terms of food and the land it is grown on.