398 million acres of cropland has been added to the mix around the world since the start of this century, notably in tropical regions such as Brazil and India. There is increasing competition for U.S. farmers in export markets. The United States alone cannot absorb all that we produce here.
Many farmers voted for Trump because he promised less regulation and greater prosperity for America’s farmers. The hard truth is that, like most of the folks who voted for Trump, farmers failed to do their homework about the reality of the new administration.
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We are now living and working in an environment where the only constant is chaos. Chaos produces uncertainty, and that leads to loss of trust. The buyers of U.S. farm products are not going to deal with nations that cannot be trusted. There are plenty of options in today’s world for those buyers to bypass the United States.
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The Climate Smart programs designed to help farmers monetize carbon reduction practices on their farms are going away. The future of the 45Z tax credit is, well, who knows? What about export assistance programs urgently needed to help U.S. farmers counter the effects of the Trump tariffs and the rise of our global competitors, such as Brazil and India? And how about the price subsidies that featured prominently in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s farm support programs? What happens when the NOAA is defunded?
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By some accounts, USAID buys about $2 billion dollars of US farm products annually. USAID is being dismantled by the dodgy group.
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Farmers, small towns and Main Street businesses bear the brunt of this ill-conceived approach.
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This nation cannot exist as an island. But that is the path that this administration is on, and the onus is on responsible folks from all political persuasions to find common ground to stop this madness.
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Don’t bet the farm on help coming your way from this administration. Remember the old saying: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. My fellow farmers — you’ve been played.
Kansas Reflector
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