Free markets do work. We have made a successful living as farmers for 33 years doing just that. We chose as a matter of principle not to participate in any government farm programs. We made that decision years ago and have never regretted it. This is an important distinction compared to the Five Year Farm Bills that are routinely passed by Congress.
Most people assume all farmers are subsidized by the federal government.
However, they happen to be the largest and involve the majority of farmers so everyone is thrown into the same barrel. These 10 commodities include feed grains, wheat, field corn, soybeans, rice, tobacco, sugar, peanuts, cotton and dairy. This means over 200 other crops do not receive direct government support. Family farms growing fruits, vegetables, essential oils, herbs, meats, poultry, grass seed, Christmas trees, flowers, and so forth, are busy taking care of their resources of land, water and labor. They don't have time nor do they think about traveling to Washington to ask for special favors and privileges.