"We need a farm bill for food security just like we need an energy bill for energy security," said Sen. Charles Grassley (search), R-Iowa, who received $162,117 from 1995 to 2002 to support his 710 acres of corn and soybeans.
But even while defending his subsidies, saying he is a lifelong farmer, Grassley, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, agrees that spending should be limited and more of the benefits should be going to small farmers.
"Things need to be reformed to have a program that does assist the small- and medium-sized producers," Grassley said in a statement to Foxnews.com. "It is important to have a farm bill to support the small- and medium-sized farmer to protect them from market forces they don’t have control of."
Grassley has worked to cap payments at $300,000 per farm. His office calculated that this limit would save $1.2 billion a year, and said the legislation is ready to go if the senator can find a vehicle to attach it to.
