The hardships of American farmers did not start with Trump and his apparent misunderstanding of how tariffs work. For decades family farms have been struggling and large corporate farms have been taking their place. These “big ag” operations may not be a large percentage of farm owners now but as more and more family farms are lost due to the issues in this article, it’s likely the corporations who will benefit. This administration doesn’t seem to understand how the US agriculture system is interwoven with feeding the rest of the world, or how connected the entire globe is.
This whole Trump tariffs thing sounds like a big gamble that may not pan out to the detriment of many farmers in America. I hope I'm wrong about this. A bad outcome will surely mean more inflation to follow putting more strain on many American's pocketbooks.
The changes in American farming have been so sad to see over the past few decades. I grew up in an area that used to be covered in farms. We could drive down the road 5 min and buy sweet corn directly from a family my Mom knew. There are some small family farms trying to come back in our area and a new farmers market that is hosted monthly to help support them. But, it's hard. Both for them and consumers. Some of their products are the same price but there are many products that people just can't afford to buy. I have hope for the farmers because the opposite is good for no one. But it is hard to have faith in Trump's policies.
Great article! Thank you, Elise!
The hardships of American farmers did not start with Trump and his apparent misunderstanding of how tariffs work. For decades family farms have been struggling and large corporate farms have been taking their place. These “big ag” operations may not be a large percentage of farm owners now but as more and more family farms are lost due to the issues in this article, it’s likely the corporations who will benefit. This administration doesn’t seem to understand how the US agriculture system is interwoven with feeding the rest of the world, or how connected the entire globe is.
This whole Trump tariffs thing sounds like a big gamble that may not pan out to the detriment of many farmers in America. I hope I'm wrong about this. A bad outcome will surely mean more inflation to follow putting more strain on many American's pocketbooks.
The blind faith farmers have in Trump is a mystery to me. They made their bed and now they must lie in it.
The changes in American farming have been so sad to see over the past few decades. I grew up in an area that used to be covered in farms. We could drive down the road 5 min and buy sweet corn directly from a family my Mom knew. There are some small family farms trying to come back in our area and a new farmers market that is hosted monthly to help support them. But, it's hard. Both for them and consumers. Some of their products are the same price but there are many products that people just can't afford to buy. I have hope for the farmers because the opposite is good for no one. But it is hard to have faith in Trump's policies.
Thank you for clarifying the farm issues in our country. It does sound like an ominous future for farmers.
Excellent article