A lack of production was not the issue, oversupply and distribution was. Agricultural prices were already declining during the 1920s due to a large surplus of food. This was compounded during the Great Depression, as demand dropped both domestically and internationally. American farming was devastated.

Despite this oversupply of food, more Americans could not afford to feed themselves. Along with traditional methods such as soup kitchens, the government introduced the first food stamp and school lunch programs to feed the poor. This assisted farmers through increased demand. In 1933 the Agricultural Adjustment Administration was created to directly correct agricultural prices through artificial scarcity. Farmers were paid to not plant crops and raise animals.Millions of acres were ploughed over, millions of livestock were slaughtered. In some cases tonnes of food were simply left to rot. Within two years farm income had increased by 50%.

Simply planting more apples or corn would have been counterproductive.