Abuse of farm safety net harms rural America

Each year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) makes billions of dollars in payments to farmers across the country. Farmers rely on this money as part of a safety net, which helps them mitigate risks involved with working in agriculture. Congress put in place common-sense limits on farm program payments, but left damaging loopholes.

Currently, farmers are required to be actively engaged in f...