The farm subsidies here and the writing off of huge numbers (expenses) each year has become a long accepted gambit of farmers.
From 1995 to 2015 SD received about $18 billion in farm subsidies. For some context, Iowa was double that at about $36 billion (see below) while overall, farmers and actual farms, have actually decreased significantly.
A lot of the subsidy business was started by Hoover and FDR in the early 1900’s to create market stability. I don’t know enough to criticize all of it but I know the “family farm” here is largely a concept of the past in our county, now made up of corporate and millionaire farmers. Some due to shrewd business minds, sure, but they were definitely given a hand (maybe two) up.
Ironically, or maybe not, many lost it all in the Democrat Carter years when interest rates hit 18% and many couldn’t cash flow their loans.
https://farm.ewg.org/
