Under the Farm Bill, the great bulk of USDA largesse flows to five crops: corn, soy, cotton, wheat, and rice. Of the $113.6 billion in commodity subsidy payments doled out by the USDA between 1995 and 2004, corn drew $41.8 billion — more than cotton, soy, and rice combined.

Funneling so much money into corn encourages overproduction which in turn lowers the price of corn on the market. Large companies have therefore been able to produce high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) at very low prices.