Answer: If the government sets a price floor of $5 per bushel, Say 1000 bushels of corn are produced, of which 300 bushels are purchased by consumers, and 700 bushels by the government. The program costs the government $3500. Farmers receive $5000 in total revenue.
Explanation: A price floor is a legitimate minimum value that the government sets on a product in the market, usually to protect the suppliers/farmers. Using the ballpark values as in the answer, to estimate and explain the concept of a price floor:
Say total quantity produced is 1000 bushels of corn from which the Market demands 300 bushels. Given that the government has set a price floor at $5 per bushel; then the Government has to buy the surplus bushels of corn in the market from the farmers.
Surplus bushels = Quantity produced – Quantity purchased
1000 bushels – 300 bushels = 700 surplus bushels of corn to be purchased at $5 each by the government
Therefore: It would cost the government (700 bushels x $5 =) $3,500 to mop up the surplus in the market and pay the farmers. The 300 bushels purchased by consumers would yield (300 x $5 =) $1,500 in earnings for the farmers. Total earning by the farmers = $3500 (from the government) and $1500 from consumers) = $5000.
I hope this helps to understand the concept of price floors.
