An
agricultural subsidy is a governmental
subsidy paid to farmers and
agribusinesses to supplement their income, manage the supply of agricultural
commodities, and influence the cost and supply of such commodities. Examples of such commodities include; wheat, feed grains (grain used as fodder, such as maize or corn, sorghum, barley, and oats), cotton, milk, rice, peanuts, sugar, tobacco, oilseeds such as soybeans, and meat products such as beef, pork, and
lamb and mutton. Such subsidies are extremely controversial, both because of their complex effects and because of their political origins, which involve heavy lobbying from groups representing the interests of agribusiness.