United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1995-06-20 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:RCED-95-107 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-107 P0b002ee18039ba99 f:rc95107 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-107 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-107 RCED-95-107 Agricultural programs Exporting Farm credit Farm income stabilization programs Subsidies Foreign trade policies Cost control Price supports Export regulation Commodity marketing USDA Cotton Program USDA Conservation Reserve Program USDA Export Promotion Program USDA Disaster Payments and Crop Insurance Program USDA Pest Management Program USDA Acreage Reduction Program Dept. of the Interior Water Subsidies Program USDA Market Promotion Program USDA GSM-102 Program USDA GSM-103 Program USDA 50/92 Program Canada Mexico North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA Chapter Report RCED Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) cotton program, focusing on the program's: (1) cost and complexity; (2) distribution of payments; (3) effects on producers' costs and returns; and (4) effectiveness in enhancing U.S. cotton exports.<p/>GAO found that: (1) over the past 60 years, the cotton program has evolved into a costly, complex maze of domestic and international price supports that benefit cotton producers at the cost of the government and society; (2) from 1986 through 1993, the cotton program's costs totalled $12 billion and averaged $1.5 billion a year; (3) in 1993, 295 producers received payments of more than $250,000, which is the legislated amount that a producer can receive under certain farm programs; (4) revenues from domestic markets were more than sufficient to cover the producers' short-run production costs, and most of the average producers' long-run costs from 1986 through 1993; (5) USDA efforts to enhance cotton exports have not been effective despite federal efforts to assist exporters and producers through marketing loans and step 2 payments; (6) U.S. cotton exports are not beneficial because production costs and government payments, taken together, are consistently higher than the adjusted world price; and (7) it may be more difficult in the long-run for the United States to subsidize cotton exports while also supporting cotton prices under the loan program. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-107/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-107.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-107/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-107.pdf GAO/RCED-95-107 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-107 Chapter Report GAO/RCED-95-107; Cotton Program: Costly and Complex Government Program Needs to Be Reassessed; Agricultural programs Exporting Farm credit Farm income stabilization programs Subsidies Foreign trade policies Cost control Price supports Export regulation Commodity marketing USDA Cotton Program USDA Conservation Reserve Program USDA Export Promotion Program USDA Disaster Payments and Crop Insurance Program USDA Pest Management Program USDA Acreage Reduction Program Dept. of the Interior Water Subsidies Program USDA Market Promotion Program USDA GSM-102 Program USDA GSM-103 Program USDA 50/92 Program Canada Mexico North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA