rn to a more natural state or pay them to farm in more environmentally friendly ways. It has the political benefit of not violating World Trade Organization rules on farm subsidies while giving subsidies to landowners who don't farm subsidized crops. In other words, farmers and ranchers who raise tomatoes and pigs, say, can now put their faces in the federal trough.Many farmers welcome the shift to conservation and are lining up to get paid to not work, or at least to be non-farming farmers. More than 36 million acres are currently enrolled in the program and more landowners want in. That's hardly surprising. Money for nothing: It's good work, if you can get it. ...
