July 19, 2007 10:57AM 

# Farm Fibs 

By [Chris Edwards](https://www.cato.org/people/chris-edwards) 

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My toddlers have recently been having fun with the phrase “liar, liar, pants on fire.” I’d like to set them loose on the farm bill debate in Congress.

Take a [comment today in a Michigan news source ](http://www.mlive.com/news/statewide/index.ssf?/base/news-8/118479841044180.xml&coll=1)by Rep. Timothy Walberg, a member of the House Agriculture Committee: “We want our food cheap, and we’ve become used to that, and that’s where the farm bill comes in. It guarantees cheap and plentiful food.”

But numerous farm programs *raise* food prices. I’ll give you three: [milk](https://www.cato.org/pubs/tbb/tbb_0707_47.pdf), [sugar and related products such as chocolate](https://www.cato.org/pubs/tbb/tbb_0607_46.pdf), and [infant formula](https://www.cato.org/downsizing/agriculture/food_subsidies.html). And don’t forget about federal ethanol policies, which are pushing up prices for corn and derived products.

##### Related Tags 

[General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy), [Department of Agriculture](https://www.cato.org/department-agriculture), [Downsizing Government](https://www.cato.org/downsizing-government) 

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