An important change in U.S. farm policy occurred when the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 eliminated acreage set asides. Supply controls had been a feature of U.S. farm policy since the Agricultural Adjustment of 1933. This article examines both the short and longer term changes in 2 aspects of managing a farm that resulted from the so-called "Freedom to Farm" provision:
► it allowed farms to increase planted acres by eliminating set asides, and
► it allowed farms, with some exceptions, to plant whatever crop was most profitable.
In short, Freedom to Farm increased the management flexibility of U.S. farms.
Date published:
Wednesday, March 7, 2012