Civil War Redux in US Farm Bill debate

To make sense of the long quarrel in Congress over the five-year, $500 billion bill to overhaul agricultural policy, look back in time, way before red and blue became the colors that define U.S. politics.

Instead, think the Blue and the Gray. It’s North versus South, big state against small -- rivalries that date to the earliest days of the Republic. Lawmakers from Georgia and Arkansas demand price protections for rice and peanuts. Midwesterners hold out for generous crop insurance for corn. Meanwhile, members from Northern cities stand guard over money for food stamps.