So Much for Decoupling

"Decoupling" in the agricultural context means breaking the linkage between what's in the farm program and what is planted. Under WTO rules benefits that aren't decoupled and therefore affect the crops being planted and produced are charged against a country's subsidy limits. But, from a piece on the Farm Bureau's position:

“‘I have talked to a lot of farmers and I can tell you they don’t really care whether something is a budget gimmick, or closing a loophole, or providing a tax credit,’ Stallman said. ‘They don’t really care about all the back and forth from Democrats and Republicans on those issues. What our members care about is: Are we going to have a farm bill and when are we going to know what the rules are so we can plan our planting operation?’”

If the rules affect the planting, then decoupling isn't.