The Agricultural Policy Working Group was formed in December 1986 to defeat mandatory supply controls and to promote farm policies which the group believed would enhance agricultural and rural economies. Corporate members of the working group included Cargill, Central Soya Company, Continental Grain Company, International Minerals and Chemical Corporation, Monsanto, Nabisco, and Pillsbury. The group worked to defeat a 1987 bill, often referred to as the Save the Family Farm Act, sponsored by Senator Tom Harkin (Democrat, Iowa) and Representative Richard Gephardt (Democrat, Missouri) which would have placed controls on crop production. Agribusinesses argued that the bill would lead to higher food prices and critically reduce U.S. exports. The bill was eventually defeated.

This collection (1987-1988) contains papers, reports, an article and news releases. The papers and reports by the Agricultural Policy Working Group address issues concerning farming in 1987 and 1988, such as budget reductions and decoupling (decoupling would separate the amount of farm payments from production quantities). Also included in this collection are two news releases about the projected budget changes and the decoupling proposal, a cover letter outlining the changes that would be brought about by budget reductions, and a news article about the support that farmers were giving the decoupling proposal.