The USA has two very large national debts and they both are a threat to agriculture and soil. Agriculture in the USA very much depends upon federal governmental programs, otherwise food would not be inexpensive. The huge national debt that has accumulated threatens the support system which to a degree helps protect agriculture and the land it uses. The Cooperative Extension Service may disappear in the future to save federal money. Crop subsidy programs tied to soil conservation may be dissolved. Deregulation of agriculture could allow farmers more freedom to improve land but this could occur only if farmers were organized to control supply according to demand. Since farmers may never have this ability, they will remain largely in control of congress which struggles with a $4 plus billion going up national debt. The debt won't easily go away and is compounded by the annual interest charge on it. There are several reasons for the national debt but interest cost perpetuates the problem. There is also an unpaid national environmental debt and much of it involves need for soil improvement.