I think it would be a great thing to see big farms tank. Agribusiness is one of the great drivers of pollution and destruction of one of the American ways of life, and should be broken up with as at least as much urgency as the other big monopolies we talk about all the time.
4
"Farmers and ranchers like Mr. Kester worry that they are losing ground to foreign competitors, as major markets like Japan, Europe and Mexico push ahead with their own trade pacts. Although Mr. Trump has talked about forging new bilateral deals, the United States does not appear to be close to forming any."American beef exporters are now at a big disadvantage in Japan, after Mr. Trump withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal that would have included Japan, and Japan signed a free-trade agreement that cut tariffs for Australian beef." this is me a beef farmer, prices for my beef are down, people really do not understand how Tumps policies are actually hurting Americans
7
Saying you're going to combat opioid addiction is NOT the same as actually doing something about it. And who is going to pay for all that high-speed internet, health services and workforce training with tax revenues continually being reduced?
10
Surprised there's no mention here of immigration policy. For an industry that's so reliant on seasonal temp immigrant workers, farms stand to lose enormously as immigrants are pushed away from the US.
Both in the US and with Brexit, we hear stories of farms increasingly struggling to hire enough labor and having to leave some of their produce to rot. Another way in which Trump's policies are hurting American businesses.
6
Saw him addressing an audience, presumably farmers, in Tennessee tonight. From their reaction, there's not much doubt if this gathering were told the negative consequences this tax cut would mean to them, they would probably still vote for him.
2
And then today he lied to farmers about the tax cuts. He is a corrupt and lying president who should be arrested for obstruction of justice
6
Trump lied today to farmers about taxes. Can't even stand up honestly for the cheating he does. An evil
Senile old man whose material is written by his corrupt Congress.
5
Hopefully, some of these farmers let the President know how today’s Salvadoran policy change will affect their business.
2
Trump et al are all about BIG business, big agriculture included. All you have to know is that smaller family farms will be left out in the cold, ready to be snapped up at bargain basement prices by BIG agriculture. Wall Street is salivating.
8
Ah ha! the ultimate city slicker knows all about farming and agriculture!
8
He's a genius!
do you reckon he has ever saw a cow or pig(a real one I mean)
The American negotiators at the NAFTA talks are pushing for the elimination of supply management in dairy and poultry in Canada. Supply management has resulted in small dairy farms of approximately 100 or fewer milking cows to survive by giving them an income that can be relied on and ensure their continued survival when opposed by large industrial milk producers. I hope many of the small farmers in the US remind their politicians of the importance of protecting small producers and the rural way of life when they read this article, and spread the word to the small farm community.
9
You're absolutely right, and on behalf of Trump's agribusiness fans, let me offer their motto: tough beans, buddy.
4
Won't abolishing trade agreements result in higher costs for Trump, whose branded clothing is made in China?
4
Farm Businesses, those that have a Net Average Farm Income of more than $350k before expenses represent less than half of US Farms but represent over 90% of farm sector's value and hold majority of assests and debt, had a net income after expenses of $102,000.00. Average married household income filing jointly/singly in US by Census Statistics is $90,300.00.
It's practically a wash between the two, but still in favor of farming, so let's quit with how tough farmers/ranchers have it. If you don't like the results you get after putting in a year's worth of work, quit farming/ ranching and look for something else.
10
man are you wrong. SMALL FAMILY FARMS of which I am means I farm part time because I can't make enough money farming fulltime so I work a full time job 40 hrs a week and farm the other 80 hrs a week
1
Any rural American who voted for Trump is eventually going to sort out that they have been had.
Rural hospitals will go out of business, because no jobs provide decent health care. schools will head south under the secretary of miseducation. Wide band will grow narrow, and the Dust Bowl will make a come back under a sociopath EPA appointee.
29
I am so exhausted with this group of folks and their hypocrisy, I no longer care if they l lose their livelihood. A sucker is born every day and they chose last November.
8
No sane person ever said that Trump knew what he was doing.
18
At this very moment, President Trump is addressing the members of the Farm Bureau here in Nashville, TN. As in all appearances by President Trump it is an awe inspiring event. He is laying a policy for the American farmer whose incomes dwindled over the last four years under Obama. Under President Trump, America we see the renaissance of the American farmer like never before. I support the President. I support Trump. Thank you.
1
Voice of a true believer there, folks, someone who believes in believing instead of analysis.
18
That's great. What does he propose to do? Remember he said we would have great healthcare; and then he had no idea what to do. He said he would have a tax cut that would help the working man, but the tax cut is nothing but a huge giveaway to Wall Street. He said he would invest in infrastructure, a good idea, but no plan has yet been presented. He said he would build a wall and make Mexico pay for it, a bad idea, so far no wall and Mexico won't pay a penny. He has said all kinds of things but there isn't the slightest indication that he knows what he is doing. As for someone who has never been outside New York City helping the farmer...good luck with that.
14
Yeah sure.
6
Too bad, so sad. Three out of every three farmers voted for trump. Time to deal with the ramifications. Perhaps they should’ve done more research before they voted. (Caveat: I own a family farm, so I know of which I speak.) No sympathy here. And I’m compelled to add: we reap what we sow.
46
Health insurance a problem in the Farm Belt. Well, they wanted Trumpian policy. Let them have it.
And I suppose taxpayer funded crop insurance premiums and ag support payments can get the chop too?
I mean come on....Out here on the island (richer than Palm Beach by far) they’re raising the greens fees. We need another tax cut....
20
Who knew that trade pacts could be so complicated?
24
You break it, you own it.
17
Farmers like the roll back of water contamination regulations? Is that because they'd rather pass their uncomposted animal waste out into the nearest stream or river? Is that the farmer philosophy, flush their waste, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides down the nearest stream or river? Send it out for someone else to fix to clean it up? Is that like the neighbor who walks the dog but doesn't pick up because even though it's their dog, its someone else's lawn?
50
Some farmers in Iowa don't like it as much as they thought they would. Algae blooms on lakes and poor water quality in Des Moines. Destruction doesn't long as we are all learning.
21
There's an upside---herbicides in the water keep weeds from sprouting out one's ears.
5
American farmers need to suffer like the rest of us. I only have crocodile tears for them.
18
Not only will they lose their cherished export markets, i.e. dumping excess crops into Mexico, they will also lose their source of inexpensive auto, truck and machine parts. The American farmers dumping of their crops pushed many people off their land in Mexico so they came here to work on the farms that were doing the dumping. For many of them their goal is to make enough money to buy their farm back. Irony.
28
Farmers in my state export (mostly family owned farms) about 70% of what they produce. To them NAFTA opens doors to important markets and TPP would have opened doors to many others. Farmers here face competition from other countries in those export markets. It is trade agreements such as NAFTA and TPP that allow prosperity in my state's agriculture.
The administration's attacks on farmer cooperatives also hurts most farmers. Those cooperatives help better balance power between farmers and the large food processors.
American farmers are the most efficient in the world ... that is why we produce more now than ever before with fewer folks employed at the farm level. Trump seems not to understand how farming actually works.
22
and you do not understand trade agreements
1
DRC.....Yes. they make us competitive with Argentina and Brazil.
6
This administration is not interested in helping the “Farmers”. It is more like helping huge food conglomerates that want to make bigger profits off of the farmers. Trump doesn’t even have to learn a new and relevant speech for the AFBF. He says the same thing over and over again, taking credit for accomplishments other admins put into place. Let’s see it for what it is.
42
Yep, vertical integration means the giant food processors squeeze the small farmers they buy from for every last penny. And when there is a surplus they dup the excess in Mexico etc. Killing the Mexican farmers. It is a bad place to be, a small farmer. In fact, there are now mostly mega farms owned by big corporations and can hardly be called "farms." More like factories and they are not really good place to live much less work. In the old days a farm could be a wonderful place to live.
19
Interesting that this article did not mention immigration issues, which is an area where there is a wide gap between what U.S. agriculture wants--to legalize their undocumented workers already in place, and make getting new workers easier--and what the Trump administration is doing in this area.
15
My grandfather was one of those most committed to being a farmer, such that he worked a day job in order to be able to "afford" his "night job" of owning a few acres of land, operating machinery that can be deadly, and gambling on "next year's crop" to better his lot while simultaneously feeding his family (and putting his kids through college, which I've heard isn't such a good gamble these days...).
He worked hard enough that he was a committed Democrat.
Yep, you heard it.
A farmer was a member of the Democratic party, back in the days when it was okay for Democrats to simultaneously own money, land, and their own souls (as opposed to owning slaves), so that hiring Mexicans (and others from South of the Border) for a few days was okay with the Federal Gov'n'm't.
Meanwhile, we're kicking out people from El Salvador, much against their wont, we're declaring an end of NAFTA, since... brown people aren't "kosher" enough for the president's son in law, and, most importantly:
... None of this is being done on record, none of it is subject to anything except "the court of opinion until the next text drops."
31
You apparently want other countries to win at the detriment of America.........you must also be a Democrat
1
You don't buy anything? Most of your clothes are made in China! We all win when we are able to sell to the world!
1
Win? This IS NOT a game!!!!!!!!!
6
The corporate farmers will get it, but all that means is a shift in political donations. The vast majority of farm voters who were dumb enough to vote for Trump (note I am only criticizing Trump voters, not all farmers), are too stupid to realize any of his policies are actually going to hurt them. They may feel pain, but they won't attribute it to Trump. And hey - so what if they lose a lot of their export market? They can still sell that stuff domestically, though the glut imposed by loss of exports will lower prices.
Pretty sweet deal - you get lower prices for the stuff you are selling, but when you go to the grocery store to buy stuff that is imported, you get to pay more. Ain't America great.
14
“I believe the president is genuine when he says he wants to take care of the folks in rural America....” Mr. Dykes said.
Dear Mr. Dykes:
Nothing about trump is genuine. He will neither 'take care' nor endeavor to take care of anything but himself. In that pursuit, his base of rural "folks" and other communities and classes of the 'less well off' will get to hear him praise himself as their benefactor -- and if his professed beneficiaries believe his words ... Well... He's already fooled you once ... Dontcha know what twice-fooled means for you?
P.S. Read Orwell's "1984" before you next listen to the evil, illiterate and utterly ignorant -- save where his selfishness needs service -- charlatan disgracing the oval office, and endangering the country and the world.
33
Next the coal workers and steel workers will realize they have been conned by this liar.
So do DJT and Ivanka still outsource all their products to China and Taiwan to be made by children in sweatshops?
27
As long as all manufacturing of that type is performed overseas........then I guess so........
But the irony is that you claim that China and Taiwan are using children in their "sweatshops".........then why are you not protesting this? If it is wrong, then why do you tolerate it?
Well, 'cause since if we cracked down, Ivanka would lose her clothing business.
1
They are equal opportunity in Bangladesh sweatshops as well.
“The lowest quintile is actually getting a tax raise under this,” Mr. Bawa said.
Wonder how many of them voted for Trump. Wonder what they're thinking now. You actually thought the Republicans cared about you? Any Republicans? Hey, you're not members of the donor class.
25
Even if Trump were fairly competent the American public would not believe him to be a "stable genius." In the first place he is old and senile.. In fact, he graduated from business school in the lower half of his class. In the second place he is not stable but rants and raves incoherently and frequently.
His farm policy is just one more example of his mental decompensation and the unstable, bigoted ideology he clings to. American needs migrant workers and they in turn need work. For many years it has been a decent and practical working arrangement since Americans do not want to do the jobs migrant works do.
Eliminating migrant workers will raise the cost of food in America, a people who are already suffering Trump's outrageous tax bill. Furthermore Americans should not be paying for Trump's cruel and deliberate punishment of Mexico. Nor will his policy encourage Mexico to pay for his foolish wall.
12
Rural America is in the toilet by their own hands. Selfish decisions over the last century have driven the family farm out of existence. like coal, they aren't coming back
8
"Rural America is in the toilet by their own hands."
Maybe around San Francisco, but not in my state. Most farmers here do well enough to have a true middle class life style, send their kids to college, etc. Agriculture today has become technology driven. GPS mapping of fields allows farmers to use less fertilizer, pesticide, etc. Production per acre is as high as it ever has been. Equipment has become safer over time and more efficient to use. Farmers here truly are "stewards of the land" and are concerned about the environment ... environmental degradation directly negatively affects them.
The family farm has not gone out of existence but it has become larger as farming efficiency allows the same number of farmers to work much more land.
5
But they subsist on Government welfare. 1. By law the minimum wage for farm workers is lower than for everyone else. 2. The government ignores the vast amount of low cost illegals employed in agriculture. 3. Farmers get special low rates for government power and water. 4. Most US crops have price supports which pay farmers if the world price of their crops drop below a certain amount.
13
Y'all may want sometime to look at just how many ACTUAL family farms are left in this country.
Balancing the equities and priorities of trade, regulation, tax policy, immigration and labor policy, environmental issues, and such is complex for the most brilliant thinkers. Add in the counterproductive notions of nationalism and conservativism (i.e. not-forward-thinking), and this becomes an impossible situation. Trump cannot understand anything outside the context of how personally complimented he feels when he hears it told to him.
He can, however, understand one thing: he believes that rural Americans are stupid, selfish, and unwilling to practice self-control. That's why he knows that if he goes there, holds the equivalent of a rally during their annual convention, and throws out a bunch of MAGA hats, they won't notice that he is ruining their prospects, they will cheer over what they think are tax cuts, and they will support his efforts to deregulate everything they need managed to continue thriving in what really really is a global economy (especially when it comes to food).
12
I grew up in a small rural community. The people I knew were kind, smart, and could recognize a con job a mile away. Even having read Thomas Frank's book, I simply do not understand how my old homies could buy into the garbage that Trump's selling. Have conditions really gotten that bad?
11
I spent a lot of time working out in the boonies as a hoof trimmer, which took me to a lot of different farms. It did surprise me how many people out there were buying this crap that Limbaugh and crowd were pushing. I kept asking them how this was so, but only got regurgitated "dittohead" replies. It was getting scary. Problem was that the Democrats had abandoned them back when Bill Clinton was elected and the Dems had decided that to win they had to court the donor class. Money took over, you could buy the votes by running extremely negative ads against your opponents and for awhile it worked. But things in the boondocks just kept sliding away. The oil, food forestry products, fish and minerals have to come from somewhere and the party of the working class lost it's way in the quest for big donors.
8
Corporate "farms" supply most of our food.
Buy local. visit local farms, support Democracy.
Know what country your bacon is from.
Most bacon and hams do not speak English.
6
"Corporate "farms" supply most of our food.....That depends on what food you are talking about and the region of the country involved. There is a government web site that lists all farm subsidies from 1995 to 1012. A quick analysis of the 500 largest total recipients, presumably large corporate farms, shows there are none in Iowa and 127 in Mississippi. The top 500 list is weighted very heavily to the south and includes Arizona and California; whereas the Midwest has relatively few representatives. The subsidized crops involved include corn, soybeans, rice, and etc.
3
The Chinese bought Smithfield in Virginia.
People, people, people: when Trump speaks of "the farmer" he's talking about "agri-business," those huge conglomerates whose executives rub elbows with Trump and his fatcat cronies at Manhatten dinner parties. He isn't talking about your neighbor down the road who spends the night in the barn helping his cow with a breach-birthing calf or slopping the hogs or trying to avoid a lawsuit from the 5,000 acre soy grower who is suing him because his own few soy plants were fertilized by the big guy's organic crop blowing into his field. Trump doesn't give a rat's pa-toot about small or subsistence farmers.
21
to paraphrase : "Let Them Grow Weed"
5
Trump will tell the farmers that Mexicans, Muslims and the Free Press are causing all their problems, and that only he can make them great again.
16
And they will believe him to their core.
10
As a shopper in Midwest farm country, I can confirm that since Trump was inaugurated:
the cost of milk is up 20% (at minimum; all brands)
the cost of bread is up 10%
the cost of eggs is up 50%
based on an uptick in beef and chicken prices, I am buying more pork these days, though bacon is unfortunately up by over 30% among even the cheapest producers.
the cost of produce seems to be fluctuating wildly:
while avocadoes are now usually up over 50%, many fruits -- especially berries -- are regularly double the price they were last year.
leafy vegetables are up.
11
The price paid to the farmer for corn and soybeans corrected for inflation is presently at a near depression low. A bushel of shelled corn (55 lbs) today sells for ~ $3.50. Inflation adjusted to a 1935 dollar that would be 19 cents.
4
Trump's attitude toward international trade is going to really hurt the American farmer. It's true that there aren't too many American farmers left since much of agricultural output in the 21st century is by Big Agribusiness, not small farmers. Nevertheless, overseas markets for American farm produce will dry up as Trump's America first policies go into effect. Just another aspect of Trump's short-sighted business strategy, or lack of total understanding of the consequences of what he tweets.
9
I supported Trump but the more his policies come out, the more my support wanes. What he said on the campaign is much different than what he is actually doing. His policies are not helping the “forgotten Americans” in flyover country. He’s helping the same country club elites who have been helped by every administration before. I thought Trump would be different - I was wrong.
17
I'm not sure why you thought he would be so different.
Over and over again on the campaign trail, he told you that he was going to take away your health care, deport all the immigrants, cancel NAFTA, build the wall, pass this farm plan, etc.
He's done those things or he's trying to. And now you're upset?
Rather than blaming him, perhaps ask yourself why you would support a candidate who is so clearly against your own interests.
18
Bryan, please talk to your friends and neighbors and share your thoughts with them. Perhaps if it was coming from you it would make a difference. Trump and his minions need to be voted out.
9
Bryan, grateful for your comment, gives me hope that some people are listening. Donald conned you, and now rural America will lose healthcare, the farms will be stressed as NAFTA gets "renegotiated" and then, Mexico and Canada won't want our produce.
Please talk to your friends and neighbors, they will listen to you, the rest of us, a majority already knew Donald was a con!
3
I can tell you that many Wisconsin dairy farmers are struggling to handle their always difficult work because they are no longer able to hire the qualified, experienced farmhands who have traditionally helped them.
13
For Southern Boy. I do not support the president's farm plan because it punishes the farmers and the American people. American workers don't want to pick fruit and veggies because they rather have better jobs. Migrant workers have done this work instead and for less pay. The workers are happy and the farmers are happy. American families are happy because it saves money at the grocery store. No, the president's farm plan is dead wrong and punishes all of us.
14
Remember the years the vegetables were left rotting in the fields because there was no one to pick them? Given the trump policies on farming and immigration, those days may be back.
4
Cornwall, England: voted for Brexit and now crying to the Government because their crops are rotting in the fields: no migrant workers.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cornwall-council-appeal-g...
1
Pictures of what happened to Jim Jones Cult members do not reassure. Farmers have not faced the reality of the TaxScam and the Policies that will dessimate them. Trump has adopted the Republican's 1% and Corporations Governing Plan. Throw Crumbs to the masses and the Biggest Beautiful 7 layer Chocolate Cake goes to the Top. Problem is Trump is a Good ConArtist and Farmers have also been Conned. Pretty sure they will clap & cheer and dutifully eat every last crumb...
6
Gullibility and bigotry trump self-interest.
7
Should be no surprise that the tax reform benefits the 1% of mega - farmers. Would be much more meaningful article to me if we understood the different types of farmers in America and who is wanting what in terms of regulation changes, trade etc. Not to the end of the article is reference to tax reform beneficiaries. And as noted by others, the ACA and even better single payer insurance is a boon to the small farmer.
4
This is not really news. After the election a group of farmers and ranchers in this reddest of states lobbied Senator Tester to push for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, before Trump took office, as they depend on exports to Asia. The irony is that 90% of them probably voted for Trump.
9
If your speculation is correct, then they got exactly what they asked for, right?
6
While T.P.P. certainly picked winners and losers, one of the “winners” were American farmers. But again, they voted against their own interests. The brain drain from rural America compounds itself year after year as the smarter kids go off to college and settle in larger metro areas. At this rate, one shudders at the thought of what rural America will look like in 50 years time. Two Americas indeed.
4
These farmers who supported Trump put in 80-hour work weeks on their farms and in their fields.
Imagine if they had spent even one-tenth of that time reading unbiased and credible (NOT Fox News) accounts of the person who, more than anyone else, determines the fate of their livelihoods.
Make America Great Again, indeed.
8
Trump does not understand trade. He just wants control of all the toys and will let others play with some if he's in the mood. Of course the most wealthy farmers will benefit. Nothing about his new tax law or his understanding of trade policies reflects thorough planning.
5
Climate destabilization is the biggest threat to agriculture worldwide. Donald Trump is doing his best to accelerate the sorts of pollution that accelerate that destabilization out of spite, it seems. Trump does not believe the overwhelming scientific consensus (and political consensus, now that the United States stands alone in rejecting the Paris agreement) connecting industrial agricultural and manufacturing practices to global warming and increasingly extreme flooding, freezes, heat, and droughts.
Apparently, America's farmers, unlike those in other countries, have joined Donald Trump in rejecting the link between greenhouse gas emissions, overdraughting of water resources, and increasing risks to farm production. They assume their products will be welcomed abroad while they push for policies that threaten the lives and livelihood of farmers and others around the globe. Ultimately, Trump may not be the one to impose isolationist policies on the United States, though he will have been instrumental in bringing about such circumstances.
8
Obamacare is critical to farmers. They may not "like" it but without the ACA their families are uninsured or one of the spouses must work a regular job with healthcare provided!
The number one cause of bankruptcy in America IS healthcare costs which pile up quick if you don't have insurance! Of course, farmers, most of them voted against their own best interests when they voted for Donald!
12
There has been too little coverage of the NAFTA negotiations in the NYT and the US media in general. If NAFTA is cancelled exports of US agricultural products (mainly corn) will be deeply hurt, but that is the least of it. Mexico will be destabilized, perhaps crossing over into becoming close to a failed state. This will have very negative consequences for the US.
7
By the time Trump voters wake up to the reality that this tax bill hurts most of them, it will be far too late to go back. And worse, most voters won't realize they've been taken to the cleaners by the GOP until after the 2018 midterms, so it may be years before voters get an informed and real say in all this.
3
rich farmers benefit from the tax law changes and the poorest 20% are going to pay more. what does it take for voters to realize he was never going to help THEM. You make a mistake and fall down. You get up, dust yourself off and read more next time you vote.
8
Where I come from, we judge people on their actions, not their words. Seems to me those don't match up for Trump, no matter how much he toots his own horn.
7
don't forget: medical insurance is a huge issue for small farms
28
Apparently not. Many of them voted for Trump, who promised at just about every campaign rally that he would repeal their medical insurance.
7
I'm not American, I live in Europe, and I don't buy any Chinese food products because of my doubts about their purity due to air and water pollution. It looks like American farm products will be next on my 'don't consumer's list.
59
Living in Canada I have the same about ALL American products that seem to be moving towards fewer inspections, absence of consumer protections before and after sales and a lowering or elimination of product standards. I have no bad will towards American "family" farmers, though I am sorry they support Trump against their own interests. Also, farm owners apparent ignorance of the bad will projected on the rest of the world by their government's tough trade talk doesn't help them. I now check labels for country of origin when shopping and it only takes a second to put the American product back on the shelf.
For the first time yesterday I bought grapes from Peru! usually from USA, now given the choice in our markets I will buy only from Mexico, Chili now Peru.
I will leave the buy American for US people. No more trips to Florida, no more golf in Myrtle Beach, no more use of American airlines using Boeing planes, no more wooden products made in the US, no more cruises from the US. now planning next trips to China, Thailand and European destinations, my present state of mind is anything any where except the USA.
70
When I think of liberal bastions of freedom, democracy, and support for human rights, China is the first nation to come to mind.
Comments like yours undercut sympathy towards those of us truly living with the day to day aggressions of Trumpism.
3
Come on, Guy, you won't even pop over to Vermont?
good... and stay away from Old Orchard Beach too.
1
The policies are meant to please Trump and his fragile ego.
That is all thst is important now.
33
During the debates, when Trump railed against NAFTA and used it as an anti-Clinton cudgel (Bill and Hillary both), she did nothing to refute his claims that it was a total "disaster." Maybe it would have been hard to provide a complex trade policy response to a campaign-rally sound bite, but she didn't even try.
Idaho potatoes, Texas beef, Wisconsin cheese. People understand the importance of these exports to our state and national economies. She could easily have pointed out how these cross-border deals need to be supported by a comprehensive trade agreement.
And boo to the businesspeople who knew very well they didn't want to end NAFTA, but supported Trump anyway. Good luck getting your trade deals now.
50
HRC tried to get this information across to the public, but the American press in its infinite wisdom gave all the publicity to Trump and still does. When did you last hear interviewers on any channel discuss policy proposals by the Democrats? Even just going all out with the negative about Trump doesn't help if people aren't told regularly what the Dems are for!
I wonder what Trump will tell farmers when asked who willbe assisting in picking fruits and harvesting vegetables if Mexican laborers are no longer permitted to enter the US to do this kind of farm work? We do know from experience that US laborers will not work for the kind of wage these Mexican workers receive. I know apple growers in the state of NY do worry about that and, it seems, the same holds true for California.
50
Lots of apple orchards here in Maine. Most of them are going "you Pick." And its appalling how much fruit rots on the ground and still on the trees.
It doesn't matter. Trump's supporters discovered in sixth grade that God had not gifted them with brains. I have seen many many people who make this discovery at some point and it is traumatic. In the past, we actually valued the dignity of labor, but today we don't. So these people have nothing to give them any sense of self-worth except to believe that the experts (in science, in economics, in the environment, in climate science) are stupid and that they are smarter than the experts. There is nothing in life for them except to hate the intelligent and well educated, and that includes well educated and intelligent rural people. Hating them is far more important than not having their economic conditions worsen. Non Trumpers should not expect any of his supporters to change their minds any time soon.
65
When's Trump gonna make this discovery?
Oh, DT knows. His every tweet is an attempt to convince himself that it ain’t true.
What about the state and local tax deduction? As far as I know in some states they already get tax breaks from states, but I expect farmers, especially small farmers, still pay plenty of state and local taxes, which they will no longer be able to deduct?
9
They should be able to deduct it against their farm income as a business expense. They don't deduct it on Schedule A as wage earners ( W2) do.
6
I'm referring to property taxes not state income taxes -
1
In Texas agricultural/live stock/etc type of land is taxed at a lower rate than other property, so farmers get a break in that way.
President Donald J. Trump will be in Nashville, TN, to speak to the nation's farmers, hard working men and women, who play by the rules. The farmer represents America like no other. I support the farmer. I support the President. I support Trump. Thank you.
1
Net farm income has been roughly halved in the last four years, the largest four-year decrease since the Great Depression,"....You must be asleep. Farm income is in the tank and threatening NAFTA and other trade agreements has made things worse.
49
Forty five supports anything that will bring him attention. He cares nothing about farmers--small or not. Bet he's never been on a farm.
1
Honest, hardworking small farmer plays by the rules, and is getting killed. Corporate farms will profit big time while polluting the water our children and grandchildren will no longer have. Seems like a good deal to someone playing by the rules...
1
The problem for farmers who voted for Trump and are counting on him creating policy that supports them is that he has no clue. He doesn't understand trade policies, how these effect the economy, or their implications for agricultural prosperity. Why? Because He doesn't read or care to learn unless someone dumbs things down and shows him pictures.
102
And, Trump won’t do anything that doesn’t benefit him or his bank account.
7
Rural folks realize that the president doesn't have to hit 100% of their personal earmarks to be a good leader. More specifically, we don't need politicians to toe the party line; we need politicians to make progress.
3
Rural folks need to understand that Trump has spent his life living in New York City. Trump and his big city sycophants haven't got a clue.
96
Rural folks need to realize that they voted for a charlatan
13
Haven't always lived "rural" but my experience tells me that the Republican love of "country folks" is built on the disrespectful assumption that rural people represent an endless supply of unthinking munchkins just waiting to be exploited. Anyway, corporate farms that benefit from Republican policy have no connection to "rural" beyond being called "farms."
There's a thing about the myth of the American farmer's stoic independence, and realistic outlook that can be flipped to describe people who have adapted to a life of low expectations.
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The president hasn’t got a clue as to how our system of agriculture works and is surrounded by yes-men (and women) who only tell him what he wants to hear.
Trump’s idea of agriculture is “Little House in the Prairie”, not a system of worldwide commodity prices and trade agreements. We produce far more agricultural products in this country than we can consume so exports are critical. Otherwise, we either produce less and prices go up and consumers get angry or farmers continue to produce at current levels and prices fall due to oversupply and farmers go broke. We need to export to keep production and prices stable. Of course, trade is a two way street so you have to give in order to get.
They taught this at Wharton when I went there. I guess Donald must have skipped that course.
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Trump's method is to always say what his listeners want to hear while always intending to do something different and either deny he was doing it or saying the other side did not do what they were supposed to do. Civilized society requires people to act in good faith. Trump couldn't care less about anything interfering with is doing what he wants to do at any given moment. A person who refuses to comply with his obligations, denies he is ever not complying, and couldn't tell you the difference, should not be the person running the railroad's trains.
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The Farm Bureau only represents the large wealthy farming community. Most farmers vote against their best interests, assuming that the Republican party speaks for them, not comrehending that Republicians care only about their corporate masters. In Kansas, Sam Brownback, the alleged "farmer's friend" has done nothing for farmers and farming communities. He established "redevelopment zones," trying to get people to move back into dying communities. But who wants to live were you have no hospitals and failing schools? As Trump and his advisors advocate for less and less regulation, who wants to live in a community were you cannot drink the water or breath the air because of toxic run-off. I am sure that the Donald or his guests at Mar-a-Largo would enjoy that. If it is not good enough for them, it should not be good enough for any American.
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Let's see...... white business owners who inherited their property and detest government regulation. Does anybody doubt how they will vote?
Where the contradictions will emerge is health care and farm subsidies. The GOP will be playing with fire on both issues in the farm belt.
And yes, the grower associations are worried about reckless trade rhetoric and posturing backfiring. That's a pocketbook issue.
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Exports of all kinds will be harmed by Trump's plans for NAFTA and other trade policies, though agriculture will be harmed fastest because of their commodity nature. Lack of immigrant agricultural workers is already driving production to low value, water intensive, mechanically harvested crops, which might be why farm incomes are stagnant.
The incoherent actions of Trump, Ryan and McConnell on health care is also impacting rural health care, which doesn't have a large base of private employer insurance to pay the bills.
And the Trump "fund your own infrastructure" plan with double taxed revenues should be a real hit in the rural states, which have always relied on massive Federal transfers for crossing those wide open spaces.
The crop of the future for many farm states is wind energy. It is said that there is enough wind energy in Kansas to power the whole country, if only there was a long distance distribution grid. (there's that infrastructure thing again).
But the not-so-bright pair, Trump and Rick Perry, are trying to push coal instead by making wind and solar more expensive.
The GOP will eventually die by the sword of populism, when their irrational efforts to reconcile the conflicting expectations of their base just pour more gasoline on the fire.
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You'll see plenty of signs throughout the Central Valley in California thanking Trump for making America great again, but the same people who trumpeted the charlatan knew they were trumped when they learned he really believes Mexican farm laborers are really rapists and drug dealers.
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And he's exporting farm workers instead of farm products!
The only thing that farming and Trump have in common is chaff rising to the top. Farmer's, though, are like smart, and recognize it as chaff.
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Farmers are not the most intelligent group of people. When I used to travel to the farm country of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware (an area referred to as "Delmarva") during the 2008 and 2012 elections, there were plenty of signs for Biden, but none of them included his running mate. During the 2016 election, there were only Trump signs.
Got it?
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Farmers are just as smart and just as dumb as any other Americans.
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Farmers join the ranks of coal miners, Carrier employees, federal workers and many more. Anything Trump says is a lie, he only supports the .1%. Never believe Trump or his Congressional cronies, never vote Republican.
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Our farmers export.
Trade protectionism threatens the ability of our farmers to export.
Do the math.
It's not rocket science.
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Agricultural runoff is one of the biggest threats to water quality in this country. Agriculture has exponentially increased the amount of water "mined" from aquifers at a rate that vastly exceeds replenishment. Water is one of the most fundamental resources this country has and it is being squandered so giant agribusinesses can profit while the rest of the taxpayers pick up the tab for their abusive practices that deplete our soils and degrade water quality. The profits from their exports do not offset their cost to our society. For the average American it is a bad trade.
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Just as well - our current administration does not believe in science.
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Runoff in my state is being increasingly controlled ... technology such as GPS mapping of fields has reduced the amount of fertilizer, pesticide, etc. applied and farmers here use planted barrier strips to reduce what runoff does occur.
Everyone needs to eat ... the question is where will that food be produced and at what cost to those who eat.
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President Trump supports farmers in word, but not in action. The Trump Administration has done everything in it’s power to destroy the Affordable Care Act; the rural clinics and opioid treatment opportunity that they claim that they are interested in! The fact is that many poor and middle class people will pay more in taxes this year; yet the Trump administration claims that their policies help the middle class. Harry Truman was from Missouri; he would say “you’ve got to show me.”
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They voted for him. They own him.
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Did you say GOVERNMENT PAID healthcare for farmers? Almost sounds like the ACA, except the ACA required premiums.
Who knew Trump was a closet socialist.
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His closest adviser is Bannon, the avowed Leninist!
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Surpluses are high, prices are low. American farmers need exports, not enemies.
The Farm Bill is even being sabotaged, by disconnecting nutrition programs from surpluses, we address neither the problem of hunger in American schools and homes, nor the problem of having 3 years of cheese, corn, soybeans, and below-cost pork and beef.
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Hunger in America? No one is starving in America.
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That is not true....many Americans go hungry every day and many more are food challenged. That included children and the elderly. People are indeed starving in the USA....many survive on empty calories that make them obese, causing other problems. We are the #1 nation of obese people who are actually starving for real food and real nutrition. Shameful but true.
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Sarcasm usually dies on the printed page unless you make it clear it's sarcasm...
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Because of the ACA, my farmer and rancher friends actually have health insurance now. Pre ACA, they either could not even get insurance or the cost was prohibitive. Would hate to see their health insurance go away.. Why doesn't the Farm Bureau even mention health insurance?
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Here another group of voters who thought that trump had their best interest first. when is trump lying? When his lips are moving.
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