Given the publicity it garners, shouldn't the Farm Aid concerts organized by the likes of Neil Young, Willie Nelson, and John Mellenkamp have more of an impact in promoting these issues?

I suspect that the majority of these past concerts like The Concert for Bangladesh, Live Aid, Farm Aid and others are primarily for entertainment purposes as very little of the gate proceeds actually goes towards the causes they are promoting due to production and promotion expenditures.

Providing there is adequate water and space, more Americans should be encouraged to cultivate World War II era 'Victory Gardens' as a supplement to food self-sufficiency.

My grandparents grew up on a small farm during the Great Depression and though times were hard, they never went hungry as compared with those who lived in the cities. They subsided on rabbits, chickens, and home-grown vegetables and fruits.

> more Americans should be encouraged to cultivate World War II era 'Victory Gardens' as a supplement to food self-sufficiency.

Is it permissable to use night soil in Palo Alto if the vegetables are only for personal consumption (i.e. family)?

@Tui Minh...in many SE Asian countries, the use of night soil is comparable to applying Miracle-Gro and I am assuming that the City of Palo Alto has no control over what one uses as a fertilizer in his/her own private backyard as long as it does not involve the cultivation of illegal flora.

Thank you for writing about the Farm Bill. Do you know how much "big ag" is there in California? Our state produces about 50% of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the US, but are those "big ag" farms or mid-sized and small farms? Any idea how much money from the Farm Bill gets directed to CA versus great plains states?

@Crescent PAak Rez, I'd like to know the answer to your questions too. We know that fruits and vegetables don't get much $$ from the Farm Bill as they are considered "specialty crops." Most Farm Bill crop money goes to grains and commodities

In regards to your second question: I'm waiting for a response to an email sent to one of our local government leaders which might shed some light on the answer. I'll report back when I hear back.

Does the USDA subsidize Mexico in any manner based on the large percentage of fresh produce it exports to the United States?

Seasonal fruits and vegetables previously grown in the United States are now readily available thanks to Mexican agricultural production.

What this means now is that much of the agricultural land in California can now be converted residential subdivisions to shelter the homeless population, provide affordable housing for lower-income families, and to accommodate newly arrived immigrants from abroad.

My family has owned large parcels of agricultural land in the Central Valley for decades and we have been advised to sell it off to the highest bidder (aka a developer) for a massive windfall with minimal capital gains tax.

Why not?

@Genevieve Peters. The Farm Bill does not provide subsidies to Mexico. Anything that might be considered an indirect subsidy would be in a trade agrement. Regarding your question concerning selling off your land for development, that's a personal/family decision. There is an enormous push right now to not have ag land turned into development for numerous reasons including the climate benefits that would come from turning the ag land into open space/park.

@Laura Stec. Thank you!