In order to qualify for government payments, we must leave part of our farm idle. This spring, for instance, we will plant on only 380 of our 400 acres. We could plant those other 20 acres without any additional investment in tractors, or combines, or rent. Without the acreage limitations imposed by farm programs, we would spread our fixed costs over more acres. And perhaps most important of all, there is gumbo.
Gumbo is the soil that makes up much of our river-bottom ground.
The spring after we plant corn on gumbo, the soil has the consistency of well-cured concrete. Without the program, we could increase our average yields through better crop rotation. Corn after soybeans consistently yields 10 to 20 percent more than second-year corn. So part of the lost subsidies would be replaced by higher yields. The largest single expense for any farmer is the cost of his land.