Description
Sacred Cows and Hot Potatoes challenges many of the assumptions of current agricultural policies—such as equating "farm" with "rural," high farm prices with high farm incomes, or farm programs with food programs—and examines the agrarian roots of these policies. From the origins of agrarian myths to the latest controversies over farming and the environment, this book provides an overview of the use and abuse of agrarian values in policymaking. Illustrated with pictures, cartoons, and graphs, the book will appeal to a broad audience, including policymakers, rural sociologists, agricultural economists, political scientists, ethicists, and the interested public.
Table of Contents
Foreword -- Foreword -- An Overview -- Never Assume That Agrarian Values Are Simple -- Never Confuse Farming with Rural America -- Never Base Decisions on the "Average" Family Farm -- Never Confuse Production with Productivity -- Never Confuse Farm Prices with Farmers' Income -- Never Forget That U.S. Agriculture Depends on the World Economy -- Never Equate Good Farming with a Healthy Environment -- Never Assume That Farm Programs Are Food Programs -- Never Assume That a Government Program Will Do What It Says -- Conclusions
