"American consumers of farm products and taxpayers pay a heavy price for government policies and programs that subsidize farmers, and at the same time, regulate them in ways that stifle free trade and reduce the efficiency of agricultural production. These are the principal conclusions of a brilliantly researched and sprightly written book, Plowshares & Pork Barrels. This book is especially timely and important and I believe it will become an encyclopedic reference source for anyone wishing to better understand this vital sector of our economy."

– B. Delworth Gardner, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Brigham Young University; Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics, University of California, Davis

"The superb book, Plowshares & Pork Barrels, by Pasour and Rucker, is both analytically rigorous and readable. It is the single best guide available to the historical path and complexities of U.S. agricultural policies."

– Lee J. Alston, Ostrom Chair and Professor of Economics and Director of the Vincent and Elinor Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, Indiana University

"Plowshares & Pork Barrels is a wondrous history of farm pork and employment at the U.S. Agriculture Department."

– Seattle Post Intelligencer

"Plowshares & Pork Barrels combines a detailed institutional understanding of American agricultural policy with rigorous analysis of the underlying political economy. It unravels the seemingly convoluted web of governmental programs by exposing the interests of the various groups—farmers, politicians, bureaucrats, and agribusiness ?rms—who stand to benefit. This excellent book should be read by all those interested in agricultural policy including economists, environmentalists, lawyers, political scientists, and policymakers, as well as the public at large."

– Dean Lueck, Cardon Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Arizona