By April 18, 2008 the huge spending bill commonly know as “The Farm Bill” must be reauthorized. The multi-billion dollar bill that doles out money for food stamps, farms and environmental conservation encompasses so many programs and payouts that its fans and foes don’t fall into predictable camps.

As “Cash Cows and Cowboy Starter Kits” from EXPOSÉ illustrates, some of the subsidies in the current iteration of the bill don’t go to the stereotypical small American farmer—or even to farmers at all.

EXPOSÉ follows Washington Post reporters as they unravel the tangled system of farm subsidies. Also, hear from the Exposé producer who traveled to Texas to meet a real farmer struggling to make it under the current system.

And then, there are the international and environmental concerns. NOW on PBS looks at the new farm proposal–supported by President Bush–which seeks to rein in assistance to American farmers and questions whether we are paying a terrible global price for subsidizing U.S. cotton farmers.

With the new farm bill in the last stages of negotiations, environmentalists are also busy assessing the impact of new legislation on conservation efforts as well as local and regional food systems. The ethanol boom has driven up the demand for corn, and prices for corn, soybeans, and wheat have risen sharply, reaching record highs. Many farmers are pulling environmentally sensitive cropland out of retirement to put it back into production. Find out why this has environmentalists worried in The New York Times article,“As Prices Rise, Farmers Spurn Conservation Program.”