Farming vs. capitalism

Farmers take risks, buy things, sell things, borrow, invest, and try to make profits. But thanks to Congress, farming differs quite a bit from free-market capitalism. Let’s take a look for a second at the summary Brad Plumer has written of the farm bill, and contrast the way farming works to the way a free market works.

1) Food stamps and nutrition, $760.2 billion over 10 years. This is welfare program for the poor. In that regard, it doesn’t clash with my understanding of a free market. But it is also corporate welfare for food companies. It’s complicated, so I’ll move on to the next one.