The U.S. Department of Agriculture's creation of a certified-organic level has made mainstream agriculture keenly aware that times are changing. They utilized lawsuits and ballot initiatives to mandate changes in agricultural production systems. Traditional agricultural interests played on the sympathies of America for decades, quoting Jefferson and voting subsidies for themselves. The path being followed by mainstream agriculture is increasingly seen as one fraught with risk. At the same time, mainstream farmers have never done better economically. Some U.S. corn growers reaped windfall profits for crops diverted to ethanol production, although the long-term future of this application is still very much in doubt.