April 19, 2010 12:46PM 

# Peterson (Finally) Changes His Tune 

By [Sallie James](https://www.cato.org/people/sallie-james) 

---

<a class="js-popover-trigger cursor-pointer popover-trigger" data-bs-placement="bottom" data-bs-trigger="click" id="popover-trigger"> 

SHARE 

</a> 

I’ve written before about [Rep. Collin Peterson’s (D, MN) disdain for the World Trade Organization](http://old.brownfieldagnews.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=E214D086-FD82-5223-DC28A1F1E4702E33), and its [rulings against U.S. farm programs](https://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6816). However, in launching his [2012 Farm Bill listening tour](https://www.cato.org/2010/01/26/agricultural-exceptionalism/), the Brownfield blog reports that he sees that [perhaps *some* changes might be necessary after all](http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/04/16/never-too-early-for-a-farm-bill/). And, lo and behold, he cites the WTO rulings as the reason:

> One of the key issues \[in the 2012 Farm Bill\] will be what to do about the way that cotton farmers are subsidized. The committee’s chairman, Rep. Collin Peterson, D‑Minn., said today that the cotton program will have to be overhauled in the wake of Brazil’s successful challenge to the subsidies at the World Trade Organization. [The Obama administration agreed to change the program in a deal to avert retaliation against U.S. exports to Brazil](https://www.cato.org/2010/04/09/deal-or-no-deal-2/). \[link added\]
> 
> 
> Subsidies for cotton currently mirror those for corn, soybeans, wheat and other commodities, but there’s no reason why they have to be the same for each crop in the future, said Peterson. “In the past we’ve tried to have a one-size-fits-all approach, but maybe that’s not the case in the future. I’m willing to consider that,” he said. “**If we don’t address it, we may be back in the soup again with potential retaliation issues**.” \[emphasis mine\]

Finally, the penny drops.

##### Related Tags 

[Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy), [Trade Policy](https://www.cato.org/trade-policy), [Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies](https://www.cato.org/herbert-stiefel-center-trade-policy-studies) 

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).