“Government cheese” was a surplus dairy product distributed in the 1980s after U.S. policies led to over a billion pounds of excess cheese, much of it stored in Missouri caves, which was then handed out through public assistance programs to reduce the stockpile. The origins of “government cheese” go back to federal agricultural policies in the 1970s, when the U.S. government set price guarantees for milk to support dairy farmers. As production rapidly outpaced demand, the government was forced to buy up the surplus in the form of butter, powdered milk, and cheese, eventually creating massive stockpiles. By the early 1980s, federal reserves included more than 500 million pounds of cheese, much of it stored in limestone caves near Springfield, Missouri, where naturally cool conditions allowed for long-term preservation. In 1981, the Reagan administration began releasing the surplus through food banks, schools, Native American reservations, and low-income households, making it a recognizable part of daily life for many Americans during the recession and a lasting symbol of federal aid. The scale of the surplus became so large that storage alone cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, with the government spending around $2 million each week just to maintain the excess dairy supply.(Historic Vids)