2 June 2017 – Every five years the US Congress passes a spending bill that covers almost every aspect of what US citizens eat – and much more. Known as the “farm bill,” it costs about $100 billion per year. Most of that is spent on food stamps, but it also funds payments to farmers hurt by fluctuations in market prices, conservation efforts, crop insurance and more. A recent study by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) found that subsidies to US farmers increased by 59 percent between 2014 and 2016. This attention-grabbing jump increases the pressure to reform the controversial payments. Read the full article on the Journalist’s Resource website.