> Either we subsidize farmers and pay more in taxes or we impose tariffs to level the playing field. Both of these don't level the playing field, they distort

> Either we subsidize farmers and pay more in taxes or we impose tariffs to level the playing field. Both of these don't level the playing field, they distort the playing field. >As soon as the US industry is destroyed, the other countries remove subsidies and prices rise and we can do nothing about it. Arguably it is subsidies that destroy farming industry, not the reverse. Farming can tolerate a lot more inefficiencies, bad practices, poor resource allocation and unreasonable crop selection when subsidies influence the market. This could be see India for example in the 70s where textile subsidies meant many people were working in sweatshops weaving with hand operated machines instead of maintaining well capitalized fully mechanized looms. Eliminating these subsidies gradually will allow farmers to develop techniques that make them more competitive on the international stage if these other countries "remove subsidies" (which is your prediction).