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In reply to the discussion: 'We did not vote for this': Trump-backing farmers in 'state of shock' over tariff chaos [View all]Cirsium
(3,285 posts)There are Trump voters in every line of work. A little over 1% of the population works on farms, and of those a small percentage are farm owners. It is not a significant voting bloc.
Federal agriculture programs are for the benefit of the eaters, not the growers.
There is a "Walter Mitty" effect among Republican voters. Walter Mitty is an American literary character created by author James Thurber a commonplace, and a "Walter Mitty" type has come to mean an unadventurous person with a boring life who seeks to escape reality through daydream and heroic fantasies.
The people voting for Trump aren't really farmers, nor are they cowboys, ranchers, lumberjacks, pioneers, etc. They identify with those professions ad the Republicans know how to cater to that, from Reagan on horseback - literally a Hollywood creation - to W's fake ranch, and Trump's he-man collectibles and YMCA theme music.
Farmers are a poor FAFO example, and the comments that people make on these threads merely illustrate the adage that never before in human existence has there been a population so ignorant about and alienated from the source of their food as contemporary Americans are.
Additionally, the examples of farmers that these stories use are highly unrepresentative. There are a number of strawberry growers here in this fruit district, and none of them are dependent upon a federal buying program. None are 100% dependent upon strawberries, as far as that goes.
The authors of these stories start out with a story line, and then go looking for examples that fit their narrative. Often, that means media savvy people, newcomers, part timers, hobbyists, and very small scale operations, people more likely to be pursuing federal grant money.
Bob Hemesath, the Iowa corn farmer mentioned in the article, is the president of Farmers for Free Trade. They are pretty confident that Trump will take are of them, the large scale livestock, grain and soy producers, and they are probably right.
From the site:
At a time when the American agricultural economy is facing immense problems, including rising input costs, global competition, and uncertain market conditions, Secretary Rollins leadership will be critical in ensuring that U.S. farmers and ranchers remain competitive. Trade is central to American agriculture, with exports accounting for a significant portion of farm revenue. With key partners like Canada, Mexico, and China purchasing half of all U.S. agricultural exports, it is imperative that we maintain and expand our access to these markets. Secretary Rollins commitment to strengthening free trade agreements and advocating for policies that support exports will provide much-needed stability and growth for the industry."
The farmers here fall in between the two extremes of small scale quasi-hobby operations and the massive grain and livestock operations. They historically vote Republican, but not by very large margins. There are plenty of very strong Democrats, 40-45%. The problems here are severe labor shortages, caused by the war on immigrants, which has been waged just as aggressively by Democratic administrations as it has been by Republican administrations, and crop loss due to climate change.