Changing the Rules for Agricultural Trade

The paper is divided into three sections: a discussion of the major provisions of the FAIR act of 1996 [Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996]; a review of the political forces leading up to it; and a discussion of reforms that could extend the incipient agenda that it represents.

Minnesota is by any standard one of the leading agricultural places in the United States, both in terms of farm production and as a headquarters for some of the largest agrifood and agronomic enterprises in the world. Several factors are likely to affect the future of Minnesota agriculture in...