Why Farmers Voted For Trump

[Gaugamela]

This popped up in my YouTube feed. The presenter is a small farm owner in North Carolina, and she gives a quick summary of why farmers voted for Trump. They voted for tax breaks and environmental and labor law deregulation, and they assumed Trump would bail them out like he did last time. Most farmers aren’t the folk heroes of country music anymore. They’re millionaires.

I'm a farmer, and I'm always surprised when people say we were "lied to" about what Trump would do to us. We weren't! US farmers knew Trump planned another trade war, and that it would hurt our businesses. And a lot of farmers just voted for him anyway.

Want to know why? Get ready for real talk on wealth and entitlement in agriculture. Today's farm country isn't the same common-sense place that so many Americans' grandparents left behind.

[democratsruletheday]

1. So this hits close to home for me...

I have relatives on my Mom's side who are 4th generation crop and beef farmers in mostly red Ionia County Michigan. They've been Republicans since Eisenhower and they aren't changing any time soon for reasons covered in this video. I'm estranged from them for obvious reasons. They are starting to feel the pinch and belly aching on Facebook. I ignore them as they are dead to me.

I'd say that farmers and truckers in 2016 and 2024 won both elections for tOrange POS. The trucking industry is down on it's knees right now too. They mirror farmers: racist, misogynistic, hard working yet oddly entitled and have been for many years.

[Be Leave On]

15. willing participants

These people were willingly participating in a scam, but thought someone else would "get caught holding the bag".

[617Blue]

2. Because "the Blacks" and they'd vote for him tomorrow.

F these people.

[ananda]

3. I just attribute to racism and misogyny...

with Trump being a white male and all.

I have farming roots in Texas, and believe me,
they are all extremely racist, misogynistic, and
homophobic... all of them.

[GopherGal]

7. And AM Hate Radio

that seemingly dominates the airwaves in rural areas.

[Mariana]

10. And the churches.

[Hieronymus Phact]

12. and FOX

[Mariana]

9. Don't discount the role of religion.

People who live in rural areas tend to be Christian, and most Christians support Trump. In 2024, he got 63% of the Protestants' votes and 59% of the Catholics, according to the exit polls. Those aren't narrow margins.

[ananda]

17. Definitely.

A lot of them are also fundie bible thumpers.

They think their version of the bible co-0pts
everything else in the world.

They even say it's because "we're the majority."

It makes me wanna puke.

[JI7]

4. Mostly racism

[Mysterian]

5. For their generous welfare checks

The "fiscal conservative" republicans raised the debt ceiling by $5 TRILLION so they will be sure to borrow more money from China and other countries to give red-state farmers a new round of welfare checks. They call them "subsidies," but it's just another word for freeloaders getting taxpayer money.

[exboyfil]

6. Dreaming for those Grapes of Wrath days

with labor.

[Dawson Leery]

8. Racism and welfare checks.

End all farm subsidies.

[Maru Kitteh]

19. No. But they must be restructured to incentivise crop diversity

and opportunity for new innovations in regenerative techniques that sequester carbon, improve soil health and restore our watersheds.

[usonian]

11. Same reason as a lot of people.

Well, get down and give me twenty FAFO's

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219770873

[Kali]

13. this

I mostly agree with her arguments but do have a little issue with labeling so many as wealthy. sure a lot actually are but some are only on paper due to land values. you can be poor as shit, trying to hold on to a family legacy farm with the personal value of wanting to stay in ag, but the land may be worth millions and millions. choosing to keep it in production instead of selling out for development - housing or whatever - isn't reflected in the stats she cites.

[usonian]

16. Yikes agribiz.

Bill Gates is in on the land rush. He owns 270,000 acres of farmland.

Being the nerdy type, he probably is growing couch potatoes.

Staying in production, so far.

[ancianita]

18. Yep. No couch potatoes, though.

from DeepMind AI:

Bill Gates does not directly farm his extensive landholdings; instead, he uses them as a long-term investment, with various farming companies leasing the land to grow crops such as carrots, soybeans, rice, cotton, and potatoes. He owns the land through his investment firm, Cascade Investments, and is the nation's largest private farmland owner, a significant portion of which is in Florida.

Land as an Investment Vehicle:

Gates views farmland as a stable, long-term investment, particularly because land is a limited resource and tends to hold its value, even when the stock market experiences downturns.
Landlord, Not Farmer:
.
Gates's role is similar to that of a landlord, with other entities conducting the actual farming activities on his property.

Crops and Locations
Variety of Crops:

The land supports a diverse range of crops, including:
Florida: Carrots
Louisiana: Soybeans, rice, and cotton
Nebraska: Soybeans
Washington State: Potatoes for McDonald's French fries

[Hekate]

14. Sarah Taber is well worth listening to. I follow her on YT. She knows the economics and socioeconomics...

…of farming like the back of her hand, and the practices from the ground up. She ran for office as a Dem last year — I hope she tries again.

I have learned a great deal from her, and confirmed some of what I was pretty sure I knew. When she says modern unregulated farmworker policies are a form of legalized slavery, she means it. (Yeah, I thought so too, and it’s nice to have it confirmed)

Following are some of the things I really did not know

When she says farmers are not poor, and are not committing suicide at a great rate, she backs it up with facts. (The suicide demographic is this: male, rural, gun owner. Owning an enormous inherited farm is a side-issue compared to that. ) As for the “poverty” — also facts. As a class they were in trouble for a hot minute in the 1980s. The rest of that story is a product of lobbying in Washington. Look up her episode in that.

When she says farmers voted for Trump this time because he bailed them out from his policies the last time, she backs it up. Now they are whining that they were lied to. She says what DUers know: no they weren’t, they knew exactly what he said. They just thought they’d be bailed out again. So why did they vote for that POS? Regulations. They don’t want their labor practices regulated. They don’t want their pesticide practices regulated.

When she says the US isn’t growing its own food anymore — my eyebrows went way up. Incredible episode.

Highly recommend looking her up.