Potato farmers have a tough row to hoe. Demand is down. McDonald’s has nixed the Super Size fry. Diet gurus have convinced millions that the potato is a dangerous starch bomb. And even Mad Cow panic has hurt the spud. Many potatoes are first fried in beef fat before being frozen for export; understandably, recent events have stranded truckloads of spuds at the dock.

Of course, there’s nothing strange or catastrophic here. When demand for a product goes down, we expect businessmen to produce less. Many farmers will switch to other produce. Some will go out of business. And none of this is tragic.

After all, the reason these farmers are in business is to serve customers. When customers want something else, farmers are just as obliged as manufacturers and wholesalers to adapt. It’s not always easy, but it’s always necessary.

Expect to be see more reports about the potato farmers’ plight. Unfortunately, we’ll increasingly endure suggestions and then demands for special help, too. Strictly speaking, protection and subsidy are unnecessary. Most farmers are quite able to switch crops. Those few who can’t will let their land lie fallow. No tragedy here, either.

So endeth the Age of the Potato. The high point, 1996, was reached not too many years after Dan Quayle misspelled it. I’m confident if consumers as citizens stand fast against political bailouts, we’ll all be eating better and producing better before you can misspell . . . broccoli.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.