Trump Tariffs Will Hurt Small, Family Farmers
Updated Version: If we take a moment to remember, we will know how Trump Tariffs will hurt small, family farmers.
Memory is an interesting thing. There are historical periods we remember with great clarity. There are historical periods that we can’t remember at all. And there are historical periods we “remember” in ways that are far from what actually occurred.
Regardless of how we “remember” a period, it’s important to check the historical record for verification and validation. [Check the callout box for how this idea links to quantum physics. Because #EverythingIsRocketScience]
Let’s recall the years from 2017 until 2020. Specifically, the impact of tariffs on that period.
Donald Trump was president from 2017-2020, and during this time he instituted tariffs on China, Mexico, the European Union, and other countries. Trump promised that he could lower the trade deficit by the act of imposing tariffs (and through trade negotiations).
In a reaction to the tariffs, six of America’s major trading partners implemented retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports. These included heavy tariffs on agricultural and food products, creating a damaging burden on American farmers, particularly our small, family farmers.
These tariffs cut off markets for farmers from Arkansas to Wisconsin who for years had sold their goods globally.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that Trump’s tariffs cost U.S. agricultural producers about $27 billion in lost exports between 2018 and 2019 alone, with soy and pork producers bearing the brunt.
To cover those losses, Trump paid farmers back with over $60 billion in government bailouts. Here’s the kicker…most of that aid went to corporations, not to small, family farms.
That means he took American taxpayers’ money, including farmers, and used it to cover the unnecessary harm he had done to farmers. Then he sent the dollars to Big Ag. The real question is: how did it benefit average hardworking Americans? It didn’t!
Unfortunately, not every farmer made it through Trump’s political racket. Farm bankruptcies, and suicides, rose under Trump, according to business magazine Forbes. Bankruptcies rose to 500 or more each year of Trump’s presidency, each higher than the previous eight years before Trump.
For Comparison: What about bankruptcies under Biden-Harris? The American Farm Bureau Federation reports that bankruptcies have consistently fallen as the Biden-Harris economy has improved: a progressive drop to 276 bankruptcies in 2021 to a low of 139 in 2023.
Trump Tariffs Harmed Us Before, Will Again
Farm Action is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization who states that its mission is “challenging corporate food monopolies, holding government accountable to the people, and building fair competition in rural America.” The research group made up of college-degreed farmers and activists has declared outright that, “Trump’s tariffs have failed farmers before.” It points out that his current tariff proposals will be just as harmful:
He recently said that if reelected, he would impose a 200% tariff on John Deere if the company went through with its plan to move more of its production to Mexico. He has also proposed a 60% tariff on goods from China and up to 20% on all other U.S. imports.
There has been widespread pushback against these proposed tariffs, with leading economists agreeing that Trump’s plan to impose hefty tariffs on imported goods would likely send prices surging. Even the largest commodity trade groups like the National Corn Growers Association and American Soybean Association have warned against reigniting a trade war because it would harm U.S. agriculture markets, with farmers and rural economies paying the price.
Just as farmers still feel the repercussions of past tariffs, our collective memory shapes how we view such policies and their lasting impacts. In the callout box below, I share how it really is like rocket science.
Farmers Voting for Harris
Interesting trends have happened recently. In July, the United Farm Workers endorsed Kamala Harris for president. In late October, so did the National Black Farmers Association. Farmers have historically voted conservative. This year they appear to be voting conservative…but not for the party they’ve typically voted for.
Is it possible that Trump’s record shifts their stance this November? It’s looking that way.
VP Harris is seeing growing endorsements from conservative Republicans ranging from former Vice President Dick Cheney to former members of Trump’s administration. The endorsements have recently included two Republican Pennsylvania farmers, Bob and Kristina Lange, who discussed their endorsement of Harris in an interview with Fox News Digital.
I encourage ALL FARMERS to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz. Support her effort to keep growing the U.S. economy, including opening global markets for American farmers and their families.
What Would More Trump Tariffs Mean for Food and Farmers? | Farm Action
The Economic Impacts of Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Agriculture (usda.gov)
Amid Trump Tariffs, Farm Bankruptcies And Suicides Rise (forbes.com)
Examining Biden's Farm Bankruptcy Claim - FactCheck.org
United Farm Workers Endorses Vice President Kamala Harris for President – UFW
PolitiFact | Fact-check: Farm bankruptcies highest in 8 years
Farm Bankruptcies Down… For Now | Market Intel | American Farm Bureau Federation (fb.org)
As small U.S. farms face crisis, Trump's trade aid flowed to corporations (cnbc.com)
#faroutstars