Steve Williams and his daughter Brandy Renshaw are struggling to farm their land in Dogtooth Bend, Southern Illinois, due to repeated flooding. Millions of tons of sand have rendered the ground unstable, making farming increasingly difficult and often futile. Despite the challenges, they continue planting to maintain their federal crop insurance. This reliance on government subsidies highlights a larger issue with federal farm policy, which can trap farmers on vulnerable land. While programs exist to pay farmers to retire flood-ravaged fields, they have been slow, underfunded, and administratively delayed for years. Even when a major flood in 2019 made the need apparent, the allocated funds were insufficient to help all eligible farmers. Meanwhile, the federal government continues to heavily subsidize crop insurance and income support, incentivizing farmers to stay on land that is increasingly unsustainable. This approach, critics argue, is economically inefficient and environmentally damaging. USDA employees who manage these easement programs are facing reduced staff, further complicating efforts to transition farmers off flood-prone areas. Ultimately, Williams and Renshaw are caught in a system that provides a safety net but prevents them from fully escaping the escalating risks of farming on their repeatedly flooded land.