During the Great Depression the federal government literally paid farmers to not harvest crops because allowing that much food to be produced would dilute the market and bring down crop prices.

During the Great Depression.

A time when people were starving and there were virtually no forms of welfare.

When millions were thrust into poverty for reasons entirely out of their control.

The federal government paid farmers to create less food to protect profit margins.

Are you sure you aren’t thinking of crop rotation? Have 4 fields, have one fallow every 4 years to recharge the soil. Keep farming without doing so causes the topsoil to blow and that caused the great dustbowl which preceded the great depression.

My grandpa was offered to be paid to let the harvested corn just rot, so it was after harvest.

Probably to keep from ripping up the top soil during the harvest. Kind of counterintuitive to use less farmland and to produce less when the price is high, but same thing works with oil fields - you get more the slower you pump.

How would letting harvested corn rot in piles use less farmland? Definitely keeps prices high though.