LUBBOCK, Texas—Compared to other major agricultural producers—both developed and developing countries—America ranks near the bottom of the subsidization and tariff scale, according to a global subsidy handbook compiled in April by Texas Tech University.
Conducted by researchers at the university's Cotton Economics Research Institute (CERI), "the study highlights the often overlooked fact that all countries, regardless of size, protect their agricultural producers—and generally do so far more than we do in the United States," explained CERI director Dr. Darren Hudson.
"Our research shows that the U.S. falls near the bottom of the heap in terms of the use of tariffs and in a similar position relative to domestic support," he continued. "Unfortunately, because the World Trade Organization (WTO) recognizes some subsidies and not others in their calculations, WTO Doha Round negotiations could make the playing field more lopsided, putting the U.S. farm sector at an even greater disadvantage."
Nowadays, it's pretty difficult to get a mainstream news organization to pay much attention to the business of farming or the importance of the 
The Boston Globe's May 26 editorial against farmers and farm policy was nothing new—it included the arguments opponents of agriculture have been using for years.
