Candidate In Va. Took Subsidies For Farm

"We've got a crazy system," Baise said. "We're taking a crop and turning it into a fuel, and it's terrific for agriculture. But there are enormous consequences when we do this."

Asked why he continues to grow corn, Baise said: "That's what the land is most productive for. It's the highest and best use."

The soybeans are sold to a Tokyo firm, under a contract that Baise said pays him a premium because the beans are not genetically modified, a commodity in demand in Japan. Baise declined to discuss the terms of the contract.

The farm was once considerably larger: 1,300 to 1,400 acres, including a hog-feeding operation that sold up to 12,000 pigs annually.

The venture was scaled back in 1996 after Baise's 36-year-old son, Gary Alan, died of an undiagnosed heart condition. Baise said he and his son were going to work together to expand the farm.

Baise, whose law clients include several major agricultural trade associations, receives subsidies in different forms. Almost half ($116,543) have come through direct payment, with rates for corn and other crops established on a county-by-county basis. They also include "loan deficiency" payments ($108,515), which farmers receive when market prices dip below federally established minimums. "Counter cyclical" payments ($57,479), another form of protection against low prices, were also made.

Research director Lucy Shackelford contributed to this report.