The Fault Lines of Farm Policy: A Legislative and Political History of the Farm Bill

At the intersection of the growing national conversation about our food system and the long-running debate about our government's role in society is the complex farm bill. American farm policy, built on a political coalition of related interests with competing and conflicting demands, has proven incredibly resilient despite development and growth.

In The Fault Lines of Farm Policy Jonathan Coppess analyzes the legislative and political history of the farm bill, including the evolution of congressional politics for farm policy. Disputes among the South, the Great Plains, and the Midwest form the primordial fault line that has defined the debate throughout farm policy's history. Because these regions formed the original farm coalition and have played the predominant roles throughout, this study concentrates on the three major commodities produced in these regions: cotton, wheat, and corn. Coppess examines policy development by the political and congressional interests representing these commodities, including basic drivers such as coalition building, external and internal pressures on the coalition and its fault lines, and the impact of commodity prices. This exploration of the political fault lines provides perspectives for future policy discussions and more effective policy outcomes.


Author: Jonathan Coppess
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Published: 12/01/2018
Pages: 504
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.95lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.20w x 1.50d
ISBN: 9781496205124

About the Author
Jonathan Coppess is a clinical assistant professor of law and policy in the department of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He previously served as chief counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, as well as administrator and deputy administrator for farm programs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency in Washington DC.