Abstract
This essay suggests the “iron triangle” concept may have possibilities as a foundation for reorienting the farm bill. The essay incorporates the broader concept of “power clusters” to more accurately reflect the shaping of farm policy and to better illustrate the premise that these influence structures might offer a viable pathway forward for a reorientation of farm policy. Focusing on congressional committee jurisdiction and executive branch implementation of policies, the essay provides examples of how power cluster interests groups have used both pathways to expand the range of debate and program coverage associated with agricultural policy, both within and outside the farm bill. Changes to tobacco policy, farm labor assistance, conservation on agricultural lands, and rural development have all been achieved through those pathways, suggesting that creative exploitation of the iron triangle or power clusters approach can offer a strategy for achieving farm bill reorientation goals.
