ABSTRACT
Developments in the U.S. farm sector and in world agricultural trade since 1985 have led to a firm consensus that U.S. farm policy in the 1990s can continue on the course set in recent years with only limited amendments. But budget austerity, negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), economic instability, or efforts to brand U.S. agriculture as nonsustainable because of its heavy reliance on chemicals may shatter that consensus. As the debate began on the 1990 farm bill, however, the range of practical choices on key commodity, trade, and environmental issues was relatively narrow. Commodity program options and their linkages to the budget, GATT, and the environment are described briefly in this chapter, and references are made to other chapters in this book that deal in detail with relevant issues.
