Tag: Agriculture

Donny, What Does This Mean?

Everyone of us has had sticker shock when we go to the grocery store….prices just keep making it harder and harder to have descent meals.

Most of us would like to know just what the government, as much as we can actually call it a ‘government’, would do to help us struggling fools.

Well wait no longer….Donny has announced his new plan….

President Trump announced Friday he would move to allow American farmers and ranchers to process their own food, hitting back against what he called the “monopoly” created by large processors.

Trump noted in a post on Truth Social that farmers and ranchers “have always been a number one priority” for him, adding that he has heard they have had an issue with big processors.

The president wrote, “There are, essentially, 4 of them, a very non competitive number, and they make life miserable for our wonderful Farmers and Ranchers, and I can’t let that happen, can I?”

“So, in order to break this powerful monopoly, with much of its ownership based outside of the U.S., I am authorizing legal documents to be drawn in order to allow Farmers and Ranchers to be given the right to PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD. This should move quickly,” he continued.

The move comes as Trump has faced backlash from ranchers as well as a number of congressional Republicans after his administration rolled out a plan to import 300,000 metric tons of tariff-free foreign ground beef over 90 days.

The critics argue that selling beef at a 25 percent discount puts downward pressure on what domestic ranches are able to charge. Additionally, industry experts say that savings from the move may not reach shoppers because of large packers and retailers getting the margin.

(thehill.com)

First the US just recalled 30K pounds of Argentine beef for improper inspection….what makes us think that the new beef will be any less unsafe?

Second, I am not a farmer or a rancher so my information and knowledge is very limited….but what does this mean?  What does process their own food actually mean?

I guess the next question will be just how will that bring down food prices?

Cutting out the ‘middle man’ all that significant?

Please will someone explain this to me and my readers that are not privy to the industry.

To say that I am not too positive about this so-called plan would be an understatement….but if there is a silver lining I would like to know where.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Farm Aid, Donny Style

Common knowledge that our farmers have been struggling and losing the battle thanks to the ill-conceived tariffs….and now Clueless Leader has decided to do something….

President Trump announced a $12 billion bailout for US farmers on Monday, aiming to soften the blow from his own tariffs and a tough year in agriculture. The relief includes $11 billion in direct payments through the Farmer Bridge Assistance program, with another $1 billion set aside for other commodities, the Wall Street Journal reports. Soybean farmers, hit hardest by collapsing prices and the loss of China as a top customer, are expected to benefit the most. Trump announced the aid plan at a White House roundtable Monday, saying it would be funded by tariff revenue, the AP reports.

Farm bankruptcies are up 60% this year, with the cost of goods including fertilizer rising and crop prices low after a record harvest. The aid, set to roll out at the end of February, drew praise from major farm groups. The American Soybean Association lamented 2025’s combination of bad prices, high costs, and lost markets. At Monday’s event, Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins pointed fingers at foreign-owned agribusinesses for driving up costs.

Soybean exports to China, which once bought nearly a quarter of all US beans, dropped to zero after Trump’s tariffs, though purchases resumed after a deal at the end of October. In 2018, during Trump’s first term, he announced $12 billion in aid to farmers during a trade dispute with China. The total compensation for lost farm business due to tariffs during his first term was around $23 billion, the Journal reports.

As in 2018, farmers say they appreciate the help but would rather make money from selling crops than government payments, the AP reports. “I think we need to be looking for some avenues to find other funding opportunities and we need to get our markets going. That’s where we want to be able to make a living from,” says Kentucky farmer Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association. Asked Monday if there would be more aid packages, Trump said it would depend on market conditions, the BBC reports. “The farmers don’t want aid,” he said. “They want to have a level playing field.”

This will be a welcome relief but will not solve the problem just delay the inevitable.

How much if this aid will go to agri-business giants?

Let’s be honest these lame tariffs are causing much of the problems…..

Democratic US Sen. Ron Wyden was among those who emphasized Monday that President Donald Trump’s erratic tariff policies have helped create the very conditions the White House is now citing to justify its new $12 billion relief plan for American farmers.

“Instead of proposing government handouts, Donald Trump should end his destructive tariff spree so American farmers can compete and win on a level playing field,” said Wyden (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. “Donald Trump’s trade war is taxing families, killing markets for our farm goods, and driving farmers into bankruptcy.”

“Trump’s plan to bail out farmers won’t even get agriculture communities back to even,” the senator added. “They’re still paying more for fertilizer, equipment, and seeds, while grown-in-the-USA farm goods are facing more obstacles than ever in foreign markets. Don’t forget that all of this trade destruction and taxing was to raise money for Trump’s massive handouts to billionaires and the ultra-wealthy.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-farmer-bailout

His plan will not solve the problem as I have stated…..his plan is to throw money at the problem he created with the hope that some good can be rescued from the action.

BTW, prices will not go down because of this so-called ‘plan’….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“Buy Bigger Tractors”

My state of Mississippi is dependent on the sell of our major crop, soybeans, and thanx to Donny’s massive tariffs on China our framers are in pain and searching for alternatives….

Members of the state Senate Agriculture Committee were informed Wednesday that the struggles faced by Mississippi farmers are worsening, affecting not only vegetables but also beef.

Agriculture, the state’s largest industry that directly or indirectly employs over 11 percent of the state workforce, has been gut-punched by high inflation, falling prices, drought, and declining exports. Now, many farmers are watching what Washington D.C., especially the White House, will do next concerning tariffs as well as President Donald Trump’s recent plan to import more beef from Argentina.

“Agriculture faces extreme, extreme risk every day,” said State Senator Neil Whaley (R), committee chairman. “When you look at the market volatility and the prices that are returned, the cost of reduction is through the roof. If we do not find ways and avenues to utilize our crops locally and domestically, we are going to lose these family farms, therefore losing independent food. And that is a big problem for us.”

Soybeans, a powerhouse crop in Mississippi, are witnessing a massive drop in sales, largely due to China’s purchase of soybeans from South America, said Duane Dunlap, president of DNS Commodities. Prior to China switching suppliers, Mississippi’s soybeans were a major part of the state’s export, and the Delta was dependent on those foreign orders.

(magnoliatribune.com)

Then the magic of Donny has come to the rescue of farmers…..and they are told to buy bigger tractors(?)….

China has agreed to purchase at least 25 million metric tons of US soybeans annually, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday. Bessent said China will start by purchasing 12 million metric tons of soybeans from the US between now and January, the AP reports. “So you know, our great soybean farmers, who the Chinese used as political pawns, that’s off the table, and they should prosper in the years to come,” Bessent said in an interview on Fox Business Network’s Mornings with Maria. He said the agreement lasts for three years.

he soybean agreement was part of the deal President Trump reached with Xi Jinping at their South Korea meeting, reports the Wall Street Journal. “I was extremely honored by the fact that President Xi authorized China to begin the purchase of massive amounts of Soybeans, Sorghum, and other Farm products,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “Our Farmers will be very happy! In fact, as I said once before during my first Administration, Farmers should immediately go out and buy more land and larger tractors.” Last month, for the first time in almost seven years, China bought no soybeans from the US. The country switched to suppliers in Brazil and Argentina, the latter of which annoyed administration officials by removing its export tariffs after receiving a financial lifeline from the US.

This is great news for our farmers…..but I ask what about the deals China has already made elsewhere since Donny and his magic Sharpie?

Will this be a lasting deal?  Or will Donny get his panties in a twist and nullify it down the road?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Say Good-Bye To Wheat

For the last several weeks I have been watching and writing about the news coming out of the farming industry….and several people have commented about the pampered lifestyle of farmers (something I do not agree with in any way) but my posts were not a critique of farmers but rather how these news stories could impact our food supply….(that fact was duly missed as usual).

The people that are down on farmers are usually the first people to piss and moan about the price of a loaf of bread…..that is sad that they cannot see past their petty grievances.

The most recent report I read was the possibility of farmers giving up on the cultivation of wheat….

Once known for endless golden wheat fields, America’s heartland is watching its “amber waves of grain” fade as more farmers abandon wheat in search of crops that can actually turn a profit, reports Reuters. Wheat farmers across the Great Plains are facing a tough reality: low prices and persistent drought are making wheat less profitable, pushing many to switch crops or leave fields unharvested. In states like Nebraska, wheat acreage has dropped by more than half since 2005. Nationwide, farmers have abandoned between 20% and 33% of the winter wheat crop each year since 2020.

The combination of ongoing drought, abundant global wheat supplies, and stagnant prices—hovering around $5 per bushel—has squeezed profits. Even bumper crops have not improved the outlook: prices remain low due to competition from other major wheat-producing countries. While some farmers can recoup losses through crop insurance, most agree this isn’t a sustainable business model. The region now sees many producers turning to corn, soybeans, or livestock for better returns. Corn’s value in Kansas, for instance, is more than double that of wheat, despite wheat occupying more acreage.

Unlike corn and soybeans, wheat isn’t used by the biofuels industry, the Western Producer reports. “Unfortunately, our little wheat kernel doesn’t have enough sugar in it or enough of anything in it for us to be a viable commodity for renewable fuel program,” says Chandler Goule, chief executive of the National Association of Wheat Growers. But the decline is more than economic; it’s a cultural shift for a region whose identity is tied to wheat farming, per Reuters. Farmers have invested in irrigation and experimented with new wheat varieties, but they are still finding it hard to make money. As Lon Frahm, a large-scale Kansas farmer, put it: “It’s heritage, but there’s no profit.”

If this is reality then that means that the US may have to import wheat and that means if tariffs remain that any product made from wheat will be more expensive….like a loaf of bread for instance.

If you want to comment then please keep it on topic.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Farm Raids Back On

Just last week the DHS was told to cut farmers some slack on raids looking for those dangerous workers….and as usual Donny has done what he does best….waffle!

A week after telling agents not to conduct immigration raids at farms, hotels, and restaurants, the Department of Homeland Security has done a U-turn. On Monday, the agency told staff at 30 field offices across the country that the guidance had been reversed, coming in line with President Trump’s calls for mass deportations of anyone in the country without legal status, per the Washington Post. The change reportedly came after DHS leadership was informed the White House did not support the policy. It was initially shared after Trump indicated he was sympathetic to concerns that mass deportations would upend the nation’s agriculture and hospitality industries, which rely on migrant workers.

Some farmers warn a drop in agriculture workers could trigger “pandemic-era food supply chain disruptions,” reports NPR. Last week, Trump vowed “changes are coming” to protect farmers from losing workers. “We can’t take farmers and take all their people and send them back because they don’t have maybe what they’re supposed to have, maybe not,” he said. But there are no actual policy changes in the works, per the Post. By Sunday, Trump had ordered ICE officials to deliver “the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.” A day later, DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin made clear “there will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts.”

What kind of demented mind cannot come up with a policy and stick with it?

I am beginning to think there is more going on than just a simple change of thought.

There have been memes flying all around that crazy source we call social media about the mental stability of Dear Leader…..there are times that I think there may be something there….I do not want to believe that there is mental instability but the more he changes his tiny mind the more it is not looking good.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Factory Farms And The Next Pandemic

WE all have suffered through the bird flu…..eggs prices shot up and have remained up although they have come down a bit since the beginning of the crisis….there has been some concern with beef cattle, swine, etc….but what is causing this ‘scare’?

Throughout human history, zoonotic diseases, illnesses that jump from animals to humans, have shaped civilizations, triggered pandemics, and rewritten the course of economies. The Black Death, which ravaged Europe in the 14th century, originated from bacteria transmitted by fleas that lived on rats. Ebola, HIV, and SARS-CoV-2, which caused COVID-19, all had animal origins. As humanity’s relationship with animals has become increasingly industrialized through factory farming, the risk of zoonotic spillover has escalated.

Some diseases are transmitted through direct contact with animals, such as rabies from a bite or tuberculosis from infected cattle. Others spread through the consumption of poorly cooked meat, contaminated dairy products, or wet markets that sell live animals. Vector-borne diseases, where insects like mosquitoes and ticks act as intermediaries, transfer pathogens from animals to humans.

The intensification of industrial agriculture has amplified these risks. The crowded, high-density conditions of factory farms create a breeding ground for disease. Animals raised in confined spaces experience high levels of stress, which weakens their immune systems and increases their susceptibility to infections. When a pathogen emerges in this environment, it can mutate rapidly and spread with alarming efficiency.

This is particularly concerning with influenza viruses, which frequently originate in birds and pigs before adapting to humans. Bird flu has been detected in sheep, raising concerns about the virus’s ability to cross species boundaries. Such a discovery underscores the unpredictability of zoonotic diseases, particularly in terms of cross-species transmission and the potential for rapid evolution of health threats.

Philip Lymbery, author and global CEO of Compassion in World Farming, thinks the danger is serious: “Factory farms are a ticking time bomb for future pandemics,” he says. “Hundreds of coronaviruses are in circulation, most of them among animals including pigs, camels, bats, and cats. Sometimes those viruses jump to humans.”

Antibiotics, widely used in industrial farming to promote growth and prevent disease, exacerbate the issue. Overuse has led to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can jump to humans through direct exposure, contaminated food, or environmental runoff from farms. The World Health Organization has repeatedly warned that antibiotic resistance could become one of the greatest threats to human health, rendering common infections untreatable. COVID-19 was a wake-up call, but it was not the first time a zoonotic virus wreaked havoc on global health. The HIV/AIDS epidemic, which originated from nonhuman primates, has killed over 40 million people since it emerged in the 20th century.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/06/13/factory-farms-and-the-next-pandemic/

What are the chances of a new pandemic waiting for a time to strike?

I say they are pretty good because there is an administration that seems to care little for prevention or safety and that lack of concern could exacerbate the rise of another major impact on the food supply.

Any thoughts on this possibility?

On a side note–there is a farmer in Wisconsin suing the Trump administration….

A Wisconsin dairy farmer alleged in a federal lawsuit filed Monday that the Trump administration is illegally denying financial assistance to white farmers by continuing programs that favor minorities.

The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture in federal court in Wisconsin on behalf of a white dairy farmer, Adam Faust.

Faust was among several farmers who successfully sued the Biden administration in 2021 for race discrimination in the USDA’s Farmer Loan Forgiveness Plan.

The new lawsuit alleges the government has continued to implement diversity, equity and inclusion programs that were instituted under former President Joe Biden. The Wisconsin Institute wrote to the USDA in April warning of legal action, and six Republican Wisconsin congressmen called on the USDA to investigate and end the programs.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-republican-usda-dei-lawsuit-5a524fedc611cb201a43c1967e3f12bf

Seriously an administration that hates brown people and women would choose them over some white dude?

I am hoping that anyone in Wisconsin can shed some light (Hopefully Grouchy Farmer will enlighten us)

Any thoughts on this possibility?

And life goes on in the wacky world of Trump and MAGA.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

All That And Tomatoes Too!

There is always something in the news about the food supply most times it is something is recalled because of some lingering disease….well this time it is tomatoes.

The Food and Drug Administration has updated an ongoing recall of tomatoes to its most severe level, warning there is a high risk of “serious adverse health consequences or death” to those who consume affected products. The recall, for potential salmonella contamination, applies to tomatoes distributed in late April. The New York Times reports consumers are unlikely to come across fresh tomatoes that have been recalled at this point, but the bacteria can survive for months in wet environments, so if any affected tomatoes were frozen, they could still be impacted. The tomatoes were sold in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, Newsweek reports. No illnesses have yet been linked to the tomatoes.

But wait there is more tomato news….

Framers in Florida are destroying their crops before market because of tariffs and lack of labor.

Thousands of unharvested tomatoes are being plowed over in South Florida in a sign of what is to come under President Donald Trump’s tariffs—or tariff threats—and immigration policies. Reporting by Miami’s local Fox affiliate, WVSN, revealed that farmers are cutting their losses and letting crops go to waste due to increased picking and packing costs.

“You can’t even afford to pick them right now,” Heather Moehling, president of Miami-Dade County Farm Bureau, told WVSN. “Between the cost of labor and the inputs that goes in, it’s more cost-effective for farmers to just plow them right now.” Moehling said tomatoes are currently selling between $3 and $4 per box.*

But farmers need to sell a box of tomatoes for closer to $11 to break even, according to Tony DiMare, president of DiMare Homestead, which owns over 4,000 acres of tomato farms in Florida and California. American farmers haven’t been able to out-compete cheaper Mexican tomatoes currently flooding the market, DiMare told WVSN.*

Even though the tariffs on Mexican imports never took effect for goods compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, including U.S. tomatoes, the threat of tariffs alone was enough to disrupt the U.S. market, DiMare told WVSN. “The Mexican industry exported, in some cases, double and triple the daily volumes to beat being subject to the 25 percent tariff in February and March and the 10 percent tariffs in April. That just devastated our markets in the U.S.,” DiMare said.

To protect U.S. tomato farmers from the harm caused by tariff policies, Trump plans to impose an import duty of 20.91 percent on most tomato imports from Mexico starting in July. The action, which will end a 2019 trade agreement establishing a minimum price on Mexican imported tomatoes, is expected to drive up the cost of tomatoes for U.S. consumers, according to Michael Strain, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

https://reason.com/2025/05/12/trumps-tariffs-and-immigration-policies-destroy-thousands-of-acres-of-tomato-crops-in-florida/

Granted I am not a farmer but I cannot understand why no income is better than some.

Will these farmers get government subsidies because of the loss of crops?

If someone can explain the economics behind this destruction then please do so for me it makes little sense.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Agroterrorism

Agroterrorism?

Not a term that is batted around too often in the news here….but apparently it is a problem to consider….

But first a little background into this upcoming situation….

The United States enjoys a safe, plentiful, and inexpensive food supply. Americans spend only 11 percent of their income on food compared with the global average of 20 to 30 percent.1 The nation’s agricultural abundance helps drive its economic prosperity. As many as 1 of 6 jobs are linked to agriculture, a trillion-dollar industry. Agriculture-related products comprise nearly 10 percent of all U.S. exports, amounting to nearly $68 billion in 2006.2

Terrorists consider America’s agriculture and food production tempting targets. They have noticed that its food supply is among the most vulnerable and least protected of all potential targets of attack. When American and allied forces overran al Qaeda sanctuaries in the caves of eastern Afghanistan in 2002, among the thousands of documents they discovered were U.S. agricultural documents and al Qaeda training manuals targeting agriculture.

A subset of bioterrorism, agroterrorism is defined as “the deliberate introduction of an animal or plant disease for the purpose of generating fear, causing economic losses, or undermining social stability.”3 It represents a tactic to attack the economic stability of the United States. Killing livestock and plants or contaminating food can help terrorists cause economic crises in the agriculture and food industries. Secondary goals include social unrest and loss of confidence in government.

https://leb.fbi.gov/articles/featured-articles/agroterrorism-threats-to-americas-economy-and-food-supply

Now that there is some clarification of the term….what started me on this line of research was a story I read the other day and it is news….

Two Chinese nationals are facing federal charges after allegedly smuggling a crop-destroying fungus—deemed a potential agroterrorism weapon—into the United States. Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu are facing federal charges in Michigan over the fungus, Fusarium graminearum. Authorities allege Liu attempted to bring the fungus through Detroit’s airport to study it at a University of Michigan lab where Jian, his girlfriend, worked, the BBC reports. They say Jian may already have been handling the fungus at the lab without the necessary federal permits, the Guardian reports.

The fungus in question is known to cause disease in major crops such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice, with the potential to destroy yields and contaminate food supplies, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Its presence can lead to vomiting and liver damage if it enters the food chain and is ingested, and officials note the pathogen is cited in scientific literature as a possible “agroterrorism weapon.” It can also cause reproductive defects in both humans and livestock. It’s blamed for economic losses in the billions across the globe annually.

Prosecutors say Jian is a member of China’s Communist Party and received Chinese government funding for her research on the fungus back in China. US Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. called the case a matter of the “gravest national security concerns,” claiming the scheme involved using a university lab to further unspecified goals. The case comes at a time of heightened US-China tensions, following new visa restrictions for Chinese students announced by the Trump administration and trade disputes between Washington and Beijing. Jian has appeared in court, but Liu returned to China after being turned away at the Detroit airport last year.

This will add a new twist to the prevention of terrorism and one that we all should think about for if even a portion of our food supply is tainted it will lead to more hunger and we know what hunger can do to a people….(think French Revolution)

Just something else that we can worry about in these troubling times.

As long as we are speaking of terrorism….meet the new head of terrorism prevention for the WH….

When Thomas Fugate graduated from college last year with a degree in politics, he celebrated in a social media post about the exciting opportunities that lay beyond campus life in Texas. “Onward and upward!” he wrote, with an emoji of a rocket shooting into space.

His career blastoff came quickly. A year after graduation, the 22-year-old with no apparent national security expertise is now a Department of Homeland Security official overseeing the government’s main hub for terrorism prevention, including an $18 million grant program intended to help communities combat violent extremism.

The White House appointed Fugate, a former Trump campaign worker who interned at the hard-right Heritage Foundation, to a Homeland Security role that was expanded to include the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships. Known as CP3, the office has led nationwide efforts to prevent hate-fueled attacks, school shootings and other forms of targeted violence.

Fugate’s appointment is the latest shock for an office that has been decimated since President Donald Trump returned to the White House and began remaking national security to give it a laser focus on immigration.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-dhs-thomas-fugate-cp3-terrorism-prevention

Good to see Donny is consistent….he hired an person with no experience in the field of terrorism prevention….in other words yet another damn amateur….

I feel so much safer now that we have a high schooler in charge of preventing terrorism (can he spell ‘terrorism’)

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Farming Ain’t Easy

Americans farmers are looking at dismal time….tariffs and loss of business is straining their very existence….and the government is really not stepping up to help protect our struggling farmers.

Times are tough for many Americans and even worse for the farmers that we depend on for our food supply.

A quick look at recent ‘deals’…..

“I thought it would be easier by now.” So says Jacob Thomas of the 10 years he and wife Jennifer have spent farming land in northeast Kansas. Their 70-year-old family farm—spanning 15 acres of vegetables and over 500 acres for hay and livestock—relies in part on farmers markets and federal programs to stay afloat. This year, the couple absorbed an $8,000 loss—a 10% hit to them—after the Trump administration cut $1 billion from a pair of federal programs that routed locally grown and raised produce and meat to schools and food banks. A separate $750,000 federal agriculture grant they planned to use to build a warehouse that would allow them to expand their business was paused.

Though the grant was later reinstated, construction costs have since gone up and the building timeline has changed, putting the project “in limbo,” writes Annie Gowen for the Washington Post. Gowen touches on the underlying political tension: Many in this Republican-leaning area voted for Trump and are feeling frustrated by the administration’s moves and, in the case of Thomas, let down by their own local congressmen.

“Historically, if you got a government contract, we’re golden, because the government always pays,” Jacob said. “For the first time in my life, I don’t trust the government is going to follow through on their word.” The family’s woes are spilling out of the financial realm: Gowen notes Jacob started treatment for depression and anxiety last fall; “financial insecurity makes my depression worse,” he says. Jennifer now avoids discussing finances in front of their two young daughters.

I recall back in the day when Donny pledged to help the American farmer…..so fare I have not seen any help on the horizon…..

Donald Trump may have won the votes of the US’s most farming-dependent counties by an average of 78% in the 2024 election. But the moves made by his administration in the past few months – imposing steep tariffs, immigration policies that target the migrant labor farmers rely on, and canceling a wide range of USDA programs – have left many farmers reeling.

“The policies of the Trump administration are wreaking havoc on family farmers. It’s been terrible,” said John Bartman, a row crop farmer in Illinois. Bartman is owed thousands of dollars for sustainable practices he implemented on his row crop operation as part of the USDA’s Climate-Smart program.

And he’s not the only one. Other farmers across the country are reporting that the Trump administration’s policies have destroyed their markets by ending programs that help farmers sell their produce to local schools and food banks; implementing draconian immigration policies that destabilize the farm labor pool; and generally creating volatility that makes it hard for farmers to plan ahead.

(check it out…..)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/23/trump-farmers-policy

Tariffs and loss of agriculture is just what some greedy Fat Cats are counting on….

Do we turn our backs on American farmers?

The administration has.

How can any farmer still support this lying scumbag?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

US Farmers Plead

The president-elect has promised to massively deport immigrants on day one….and that is yet to be seen….but US farmers are in a panic at the possible loss of workers….what to do?  What to do?

Beg….comes to mind….

As Donald Trump’s second presidential transition hurtles forward, his plan to mass-deport undocumented immigrants is causing farmers to panic — and, tellingly, to beg for exemptions.

With undocumented farmworkers potentially being targeted in the vague incoming immigration raids, lobbying groups are proposing expanded legal pathways to help undocumented agricultural workers attain visas.

“We need the certainty, reliability, and affordability of a workforce program and programs that are going to allow us to continue to deliver food from the farm to the table,” John Hollay of the International Fresh Produce Association told Reuters.

During his last turn at the head of ICE, Homan became infamous for defending the first Trump administration’s cruel family separation policy. In light of his second incoming stint with the president-elect, some farmer advocates are using that rhetoric against the proposed policy.

In an interview with Newsweek, dairy farmer Jennifer Tilton Flood of the Flood Brothers Farm in Maine said that because her family’s facilities are located close to the United States’ border with Canada, it’s “within the control” of Customs and Border Patrol. As such, that department could potentially act “without due diligence” to deport the people who work there.

https://futurism.com/the-byte/farmers-deportation-cheap-labor-trump

Is their concern the loss of workers or the loss of cheap labor?

Trump may listen if the huge agribusiness talks but if it is just the little farmer they may just bend over a accept their fate for their vote.

Will the farmers keep their cheap labor?

Will the decision be a shot at the consumer yet again?

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”