This song can also be talking about genetically engineered crops that have taken over the farms in the USA. It's another example of corporations taking over for profit and greed regardless of the risks to our environment and health. Vote yes on Proposition 37 to label genetically engineered foods. This is a California initiative for the November 2012 ballot.

Greg Graffin about the theme of Grains Of Wrath and the 1983 reference:
"The song reference was to recognize that the way of life we, as a nation, are committed to (corporate profits at the expense of family welfare) can be traced back to the early 80s and late 70s, as exemplified by one sector of corporate greed. Certainly a lot of American farms were failing in the 1980s due to numerous factors. One of those factors was the increase in corporate farming fueled by federal policies that benefited large corporations but did nothing for family farms. Today we are a nation of corn eaters. Corn is used for most sweeteners (not sugar), shortenings (not butter), feed for livestock (not alfalfa), and is subsidized by the government to the extent that to grow another crop could mean zero profits for a small-scale producer. It never escapes my attention when I drive across this country and see mile after mile of monoculture fields without a single family residence in sight."