By Staff
In my last column, I wrote that the threat of trade sanctions against the United States over our agricultural subsidies opened up the possibility of real and beneficial changes in domestic rural policy.
If we can no longer spend billions on commodity payments to farmers, perhaps some of that money could be used to help the vast majority of rural Americans who don't farm, as well as the farmers, many of whom depend on the non-farm rural economy for jobs and benefits.
The question this week is &#8220how?” As USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Tom Dorr put it at the 2006 Agricultural Outlook Forum, &#8220