For corn, wheat, and rice farmers, the strong prices they saw in 2007 and 2008 are but a distant memory by now. As a consumer, you probably haven't noticed.

That's because when you pour a bowl of Rice Krispies, Corn Pops, or Wheaties, the price tag stuck to the box is still higher than usual.

In the world of unintended consequences, some extreme-minded environmentalists might take the cake. That's because in their quest to revert agriculture to the stone ages, they could actually be starving millions of people.

In the minds of these extremists, it makes sense to destroy test plots of new seeds designed to maximize crop yields while minimizing environmental impact through reduced fertilizer applications. And it seems okay to use scarce taxpayer dollars to test and re-test herbicides that have already undergone countless tests and been used safely since 1960.

Submitted February 3, 2010 to The Washington Post

Dear Editor:

Your obsession against agriculture aside ('Agri-hypocrites' attack Obama's cuts in aid to farmers), readers are owed greater balance.

Readers concerned about deficits should know cuts to farm policy would not save taxpayers a dime since the savings would be funneled into government programs, as they were over a year ago.