Food production takes a bit of time to ramp up. Epidemic diseases among livestock and plants can destroy months worth of production capability in a very short p

Food production takes a bit of time to ramp up. Epidemic diseases among livestock and plants can destroy months worth of production capability in a very short period of time. Over-producing (and maintaining the capability to over-produce) is one means of protecting against such calamity. I'm not sure if there are better ways to go about it. True rural voters make up a relatively small percentage of the country's population- 20% or so, depending on where you draw the line. It's not hard to out-vote them, but it is very hard to live without them.