Farm Policy,Foreign Policy,and Farm Opinion

Abstract

The United States has excess farm production and technical agricultural resources which could be used profit ably in overseas development programs. The export of these farm resources would benefit American agriculture and would cost American consumers very little. To accomplish such a shift would take (1) more government intervention in the farm economy and (2) more United States involvement in interna tional programs. How would the American farm "public" re spond to proposals for such changes in policy? The largest and most powerful organization, the Farm Bureau, would resist these changes in farm and foreign policies, and although other groups—especially the Farmers Union—would favor action, the combined weight of farm organizations would be opposed. Some recent changes in farm opinion, however, may point to modification of farm organization attitudes in the future.