Some of the previous year's wheat surplus sits untouched, too, and the year's before that, and the year's before that.

Yet the government is sitting on wheat surpluses - now at about 53 million metric tons - that would stretch to the moon and back at least twice if all the bags were lined up.

The special program the Hennessey farmers entered is one designed to cut the country's wheat surpluses, which depress prices and are costly for the Government to subsidize.

Saudi Arabia has been subsidizing exports of wheat surpluses since 1985-86.

Because of the drought last year and good world demand, the wheat surplus was whittled down.

The Central Valley's capacity for agriculture was also noted, and wheat surpluses that had originated in the Sacramento area were often shipped en route to foreign countries.

When there is a wheat surplus, the government buys it.

Simply put, Australian farmers, who are only minimally subsidized by their Government, believe their livelihoods are being threatened as the United States offers to sell its heavily subsidized wheat surpluses at low prices.

Huge wheat surpluses regularly helped the United States balance its trade deficits.

ISR coordinated a national advocacy campaign in 1998 to appeal the US government to send 500,000 tons of American wheat surplus to DPR Korea.