KEEP AMERICA Since taking office in 2016, President Donald Trump has fought many battles from behind his twitter handle. Although most U.S. farmers and ranchers don’t agree with Trump’s public relations tactics, they do find comfort in his conservative-based, aggressive platform to “Make America Great Again.”
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rive down any road in rural America and you’ll likely find a Trump 2020 flag hanging proudly from the bed of a pickup truck or at the tippy top of a grain bin. It’s no secret that most U.S. farmers and ranchers don’t find comfort in the idea of a Democratic president. However, the real question is, has Trump done the agricultural industry enough good in the last four years to warrant his re-election? And does his current platform lend itself to creating an economy farmers and producers can truly thrive in through 2024? Some might say yes, while others will present the age-old “it depends” argument. One thing is for sure, Trump can do better than he has in the last four years. U.S. farmers and ranchers have some strong suggestions about how he can accomplish that.
TRUMP TODAY Leaning towards the do-it-yourself mentality in the past, producers have gotten a firsthand look at why asking for help doesn’t equate to weakness. Not only is American agriculture vulnerable to the everchanging weather patterns, but it’s also at the mercy of market prices. Prior to 2016, producers were staring down the barrel of increased regulations that lead to a downturn in the markets. There were multiple contributing factors feeding into this fear as America headed to the polls in 2016. “Having year after year of reportedly record crop production and subsequent grain carry over has only helped lower commodity prices,” said Nolan Sampson who works in farm real estate by day. Along with his wife, Kelsey, Sampson is a grain farmer on nights and weekends; raising soybeans, corn, and popcorn near Union Mills, Indiana, at NK Sampson Farms. The Sampson duo also raise cattle and market them directly off their farm to customers. This custom beef processing business allows the Sampsons to keep their thumb on the pulse of their grain customers. It also provides their local community with a connection to the producers who reap the benefits, or detriments, of their voting decisions. Sampson finds himself feeling a bit outspoken on the topic of grain market prices, but he’s optimistic Trump can turn things around if he continues listening to farmers.
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“I think producers are more confident that they aren’t going to see overreach in regulation as they were before,” Sampson said. “In my opinion, we [producers] get in our heads about the political affiliation of our president.”
STEP ON THE GAS Although most voters wouldn’t consider ethanol an attractive point of Trump’s 2016 campaign, it certainly caught the attention of American farmers. Why? Corn is a versatile crop and, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), it’s grown in all 40 states.
