During Trump’s first term, he launched a trade war with China that caused a crisis in the agricultural world. However, farmers have not learned their lesson. By the time the 2024 election rolled around, farmers were suffering from a sort of collective amnesia because they had once again done everything themselves. But this time it’s even worse.
Trump has already hit farmers with his tariffs and trade wars. Trump got nearly 78% of the agricultural community vote in 2024, and the president thanked them by shutting down USAID and eliminating SNAP.
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A new survey of farmers for the American Farm Bureau Federation shows the situation is about to get worse for the country’s farmers:
Conducted by the American Farm Bureau Federation April 3-11, the survey shows that 70 percent of respondents say fertilizer is so expensive that they won’t be able to buy all the fertilizer they need.
More than 5,700 Farm Bureau member and nonmember farmers from every state and Puerto Rico responded to the survey. Farm Bureau economists analyzed the results of the latest Market Intel.
The analysis finds that nearly 8 in 10 farmers in the U.S. South say they will not be able to afford all the necessary supplies this year, followed by the Northeast and West at 69% and 66%, respectively, compared to 48% of Midwestern farmers.
Only 19% of farmers in the South reserved their fertilizer purchases before the planting season. In the Northeast, only 30% of farmers booked in advance, followed by 31% in the West and 67% in the Midwest. Even with higher pre-reservation rates, nearly one in three Midwest farmers report still starting the season without securing all of their fertilizer needs.
Trump’s chosen war has had this outcome with his own supporters, and it may be more devastating to them than during his first administration.