71.   Regional alliances matter more than partisan politics in farm programs, as the efforts to preserve the peanut program illustrated.

72.   Republicans have proposed wide-ranging changes, including eliminating most federal farm programs, including subsidies.

73.   Several close elections this year could be influenced by farm programs and, in turn, determine control of Congress.

74.   Several subcommittee members raised the issue of funds available in the federal budget for farm programs.

75.   Since federal farm programs were created during the Depression, rural Democrats and Republicans have won support from urban colleagues by including nutrition programs such as food stamps.

76.   Some Democrats have challenged the Republican majority to prove its commitment to balancing the budget by cutting farm programs often popular with rural GOP constituents.

77.   So when Republicans went looking for big, expensive farm programs that could yield large budget savings, they immediately began looking at the milk program.

78.   Some federal farm programs are not directly funded by taxpayers, but instead protect prices by restricting imports and regulating domestic production.

79.   Some of the biggest proposed slashes were in farm programs, including commodity credits and programs to aid exports.

80.   Soybean futures prices posted a strong showing in Chicago on uncertainty about a Brazilian farm program and higher vegetable oil prices.