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Since the 1920s, the United States government has tried to stabilize the income of farmers through a series of programs described broadly as “farm subsidies.” These programs work in several ways. Some are designed to ensure that farmers will receive at least an established minimum price for their crops, even when supply is greater than demand. In these programs, the government pays the minimum price for crops, helping prop up the market price. Other programs pay farmers to leave their fields fallow in an effort to avoid overproduction of designated crops. Governments use farm subsidies to actively manage the farm production of rice, wheat, oats, barley, soybeans, cotton, milk, peanuts, sugar, tobacco, beef, pork, and corn.