Originally Posted by Toto's Mom
For some crops, there were government subsidies paid NOT to grow them. .
That's one of the most misunderstood gov't programs ever. Farmers had no choice but to set aside ground but they had to maintain and grow a non productive plant on it, like some kind of grass. They had to keep it mowed and everything at their own expense. But they didn't make nearly as much on it from the gov't (especially after buying grass seed and spending $$ on fuel for mowing) as they would have with a proper crop so most farmers didn't like the set-aside program.