Why is this bowl of leaves SEVEN DOLLARS?

Why is the average salad -- just a bowl of leaves and some nuts and berries -- so much more expensive than a slain cow that had to be reared to adulthood, and fed, and slaughtered?  Why does my deli dude scribble $7.75 to $10 on the top of my lunch order when it is all veggies and weighs just ounces?  Why does the government tell us to eat according to the pyramid on the right, but fund food industry according to the one on the left?  And why oh why are we so fat?  It's largely about subsidies.
Here's a bit from the 2007 report from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)

"The Farm Bill...governs what children are fed in schools and what food assistance programs can distribute to recipients. The bill provides billions of dollars in subsidies, much of which goes to huge agribusinesses producing feed crops, such as corn and soy, which are then fed to animals. By funding these crops, the government supports the production of meat and dairy products--the same products that contribute to our growing rates of obesity and chronic disease. Fruit and vegetable farmers, on the other hand, receive less than 1 percent of government subsidies.
The government also purchases surplus foods like cheese, milk, pork, and beef for distribution to food assistance programs--including school lunches. The government is not required to purchase nutritious foods."

In all, a pitiful .37% of federal subsidies go to fruit and vegetable growers.  It's a shame.  Obama, despite his promises, to cut big ag subsidies, caved to the power of the industry and reversed this plan. (from treehugger)

Two more graphs through treehugger, from David Leonhardt @ Economix are also telling about our American habits and their results:

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