Surprising Farm Subsidies

When talking about subsidies, most experts fail to mention that more than seven times more grain is fed to farmed animals each year than is processed for biofuel production. And did you also know that farmers—primarily commercial ones—who grow commodity crops such as corn and wheat receive the most subsidies? Some of the other subsidized crops may prove slightly more shocking. Here are a few of the farm bill’s lesser-known inclusions:

Wool. Due to dependence on imported wool to meet demand for military uniforms during WWII and the Korean War, wool was declared a strategic material in 1954. Although this title has long been revoked, subsidies for the wool industry still exist, and more than 70,000 farmers receive payments.

Tobacco. From 1995 through 2006, more than $530 million was spent in tobacco subsidies. While direct payments are no longer subsidized, buyouts are still available to farmers.

Sugar beets. That’s right, not regular beets, from which we derive vitamin C, iron, and potassium, but sugar beets from which we derive-you guessed it-sugar. Sugar beets require four times the land that sugar cane does.