Plowshares and pork barrels : the political economy of agriculture /

Includes index.

The role of economics in agricultural policy analysis -- Economic efficiency and equity in U.S. agriculture -- Government and the economy : private versus collective choice -- Public choice : the economics of the political process -- Implications of public-choice theory for agricultural policy -- The farm problem and economic justice -- The role of government in U.S. agriculture -- Price supports, parity, and cost of production -- History and overview of production controls and marketing quotas -- Production controls, price supports, and current farm programs -- Cooperatives and marketing orders -- Effects of agricultural commodity programs -- Subsidized food programs -- International trade and trade restrictions -- Crop insurance, market stabilization, and risk management -- Subsidized credit in U.S. agriculture -- Conservation and "protection" of natural resources -- Agricultural research and extension activities -- Taxation in agriculture -- The effects of government farm programs -- The farm security and rural investment act of 2002 : how it updated existing law.