Changes to Farm Programs

Chris Clayton at DTN reports on suggested changes or possible changes in both direct payments and the SURE and ACRE programs from an Ohio State professor:

Zulauf said perhaps direct payments could be reformed in that farmers would receive them only if they have a loss. Going a step further, Zulauf said perhaps a loss should be required for receiving any farm safety net program. Such an idea could save $1 billion to $2.5 billion a year, he said, though Zulauf noted he doesn't have a way to fully model out that figure. Nonetheless, "This is not a small item."