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| North Carolina farmer Michael McPherson says diesel-fuel and fertilizer costs, and drought that halved his wheat yield, "are really putting us into a bind." (W.Post photo) |
"Rural voters backed Trump’s economic policies by a 45 percent to 43 percent margin early last year but now disapprove of them 61 percent to 31 percent, according to a Reuters-Ipsos poll released this month," notes David Lynch of The Washington Post. Trump's overall approval among rural voters in the poll was 50 percent, down 10 points from the beginning of his second term. "A separate Purdue University-CME Group survey this month showed that agricultural producers in particular have grown more downbeat. From a high of 75 percent in December, the percentage of those surveyed saying the country is headed in the right direction fell to 52 percent in May.""Trump’s February decision to join Israel in attacking Iran aggravated the farm economy’s struggles," Lynch reports. "Soybean growers, who were already suffering from the president’s tariffs, are expected to lose money in 2026 for the fourth straight year." Lynch notes that urea fertilizer now costs less than it did just before the war began, "but the financial damage has been done."
"More than 300 farms filed for bankruptcy last year — up 46 percent from the year before and the second year in a row that the number has climbed, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts that total farm sector debt will rise to $624.7 billion this year — the highest on record — to weather current economic conditions, writes Matthew Choi of the Post. "The multiple crises in the agriculture sector have not yet translated to a massive conversion to Democrats, but they have energized some Democratic bids in rural areas and forced Republicans to defend their handling of rural issues. If farmers decide to stay home in November, that could have outsize consequences in a year when Republicans are fighting uphill to maintain control of Congress."
