As the Trump administration fights political fires raging in Washington, another one is smoldering on the prairie. Farmers in the corn belt, the cluster of states centered on Iowa that produce the great bulk of corn and soybeans, supported Trump overwhelmingly in 2016, helping swing battleground states like Iowa and Wisconsin. But now many of them are furious, because the administration has been messing with one of the pillars of the region’s economy: the government-created market for corn-based ethanol. And that’s on top of a long-running trade war with China that has cut demand for the region’s two other main farm products, soybeans and pork. - Mother JonesTrump’s Ag Secretary, Sonny Perdue, told traditional, small dairy farmers, in so many words, that they’re obsolete and have no future.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Farmers seething over Trump betrayal
Seething enough to change their voting habits, in numbers big enough to make a substantial difference in 2020 and beyond? That remains to be seen. But at this time it certainly seems to be a viable hypothesis.
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Gosh, why do you continue to remind us of Trump's failures when there is #HagedornHype that tells the story his voters want to hear ?
ReplyDeleteFor example, Congressman Hagedorn tweeted on September 26: "The U.S.-Japan Agreement is a good deal for the American people and our economy. This agreement will open the Japanese market for southern Minnesota exports, especially pork and beef"
Is it a good agreement ? Don't know since the text of the deal has not been announced ... Trump just announced that a deal was done and a "fact sheet" issued.
So what's in the "nuts and bolts" in fact sheet ... well, not good news for American machine tool manufacturers since it reduces American tariffs for their products (as well as fasteners - aka "nuts and bolts") ... but it does provide good news for the ag sector (but not rice producers).
What Trump and Hagedorn are not hyping is that this deal does not reach the levels that Japan agreed to in the Trans-Pacific Partnership -- which Trump rejected. So ten other countries that signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership have better trade terms with Japan than American farmers.
OMG ... another Trump failure and #HagedornHype announced on Friday
ReplyDeleteHagedorn's press release "Hagedorn Lends Support to Renewable Fuels Standard Agreement"
What does "Lends Support" mean ?
What does "Agreement" mean ?
Hagedorn statement calls it a "win" for Minnesota farmers ... never mentioning that the "agreement" is between the EPA and USDA.
The Trump announcement says "EPA will seek comment on actions to ensure that more than 15 billion gallons of conventional ethanol be blended into the nation’s fuel supply beginning in 2020"
"more than 15 billion" would be great if it was 2008 but he is talking 2020 (and 2021). In 2016, when Trump was elected, production was 15,413 ... so he really isn't promising anything. Actually, through six months of 2019, the rate is lower than 2018 and 2017.
In the most recent compliance year, EPA granted 31 small refinery exemptions ... which the Trump statement acknowledges and does not state that that number will decrease (or increase). It doesn't even state that it will terminate any of those waivers early.
The sad fact is that the Trump Administration has been ruinous for America’s farm families ... and to many will believe the hype and blindly vote for Hagedorn and Trump again.