'I don't know how we're going to survive this.' Some once-loyal farmers begin to doubt Trump.

[Eugene]

Source: Washington Post

‘I don’t know how we’re going to survive this.’ Some once-loyal farmers begin to doubt Trump.

By Annie Gowen June 21 at 11:32 AM

-snip-

More than 1,000 miles away in Washington, another deadline was looming. To avoid a potential trade war with Mexico, negotiators were rushing to hammer out a deal to stem the wave of migrants flowing through the country to the U.S. border. Without an agreement by the coming Monday, President Trump said he would implement punishing new tariffs on Mexico, dealing another blow to farmers like those here in Orient, S.D., where residents were already reeling from the trade war with China and months of bad weather.

Like farmers around the country, they were faced with gut-wrenching choices: Plant their corn in muddy fields or file an insurance claim? How much would they receive from the $14.5 billion of aid that Trump promised in May to offset their losses from China’s tariffs, and what crops would they have to plant to receive it?

Some rural residents are growing increasingly frustrated with the ongoing trade feuds and wonder how long Trump will call upon farmers to make sacrifices as the country’s “patriots.”

“People are starting to say, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to survive this,’?” said Martinmaas, who voted for Trump in 2016, but says he’s open to a Democrat like Montana Gov. Steve Bullock this time. “You know, we’re the ones taking the brunt of it in all these negotiations, so they need to be kind of helping us out right now.”

Martinmaas, whose family homesteaded this land in 1888, said his farm operation lost more than $700,000 last year. He’s had to put a moratorium on buying new equipment, and he’s stuck with grain bins full of soybeans, because China isn’t buying. Other farmers can’t pay their bills for the hay and grain they bought from him.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/i-dont-know-how-were-going-to-survive-this-once-loyal-farmers-begin-to-doubt-trump/2019/06/21/04a32c65-c385-4052-8cd7-5cb4ef2119cc_story.html

[BigDemVoter]

1. I hate to see anybody get wiped out.

But damnation, how many times were they TOLD not to trust this pussy-grabbing piece of dog excrement? MY problem with these farmers is that they simply have NO empathy at all and typically don't think about or give a shit about anybody except themselves. Had they made a bunch of money off everybody else's misery, they would have been ALL for it.

[SharonAnn]

18. It's OK, Trump's cronies will buy the farms for pennies on the dollar.

[Butterflylady]

2. We tried to tell them

But they bought into horsehockey, now they want to cry about it. Well, I'm sorry but that's the way the chips fall and I'm all out of tears.

[catbyte]

3. I'm having such a hard time feeling sorry for these suckers. They were just fine with that

orange asshole's hateful rhetoric and plans for "those brown people" and others they despised, thinking they were in the clear. Well, this is a disastrous example of reaping what you sow. I'll reserve my compassion for all of the animals that will be needlessly slaughtered or will starve to death along with the farmers who didn't vote for that thing currently infesting the White House.

[JustAnotherGen]

4. I can appreciate that

But I work for a designer manufacturer of Big Data solutions.

We've taken on $50 million in tariffs since September 24th of last year with list 3 of the 301 Exclusions. We employ 1400 people.

With list 4 on deck? Eh?

I can't worry about them. I care about the diverse group of people who are building something bigger than ourselves.

[dalton99a]

5. Tariffs? Trade wars? They didn't know

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. ...but by gum, they'll vote for him again.

[Botany]

7. I have farmers on both sides of my family

Cows, beef, corn, dairy, and beans in Indiana and on my mom's side orchid crops, sheep, and vineyard in Oregon but those dumb asses bought into the we gotta stop that Hillary because she is a d***e b***h w/a liberal agenda and voted for a con man, fuck 'em.

Btw how is that climate change is not real thing working out?

[Golden Raisin]

8. Talk is cheap. Let's see if they actually stop voting

not only for Trump but straight Republican down ticket.

[Dan]

9. Well, I care

And they have my thoughts and prayers...

[murielm99]

14. I hope you are not being sarcastic.

We farm. We have a few friends and neighbors who are Democrats and they farm. Farmers in Minnesota are mostly Democrats.

I don't want to see any of my neighbors lose their livelihoods and properties. No matter who they voted for, they are my neighbors.

I don't want large corporations buying up family farms.

[Dan]

15. For your friends that voted Democratic, my sympathies

for those farmers and non-farmers that voted for Trump with all that was known about him, well, they have my thoughts and prayers.

Voting for Trump with all he represented - knowingly, those that voted for him (or choose not to vote) will find my sympathy for them between shit and syphilis in the dictionary.

[murielm99]

16. Then those people who did not vote for him,

those who have your sympathies, will be devastated too. This will not be hit or miss, like some tornadoes.

I will spend my time trying to convince my neighbors, and if possible, will lend help to them, no matter who they voted for. And don't think that I don't despise trump as much as anyone else on this board.

[2naSalit]

10. And they will be selling their farms for cash to

foreign interests.

[keithbvadu2]

11. They're not connected to the right people.

They're not connected to the right people.

142 South Dakota Farms Get Trump Welfare Payments Above $125K Cap

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1238591

[hatrack]

12. Congratulations, you chicken-friend dumbasses! You pulled your heads out!!

Paying attention now?

Bra-fucking-vo.

[Aristus]

13. ...

[JI7]

17. the ICE raids will make them feel better

[uriel1972]

19. They voted at least in part...

to deliberately hurt people like me.. I will not feel an ounce of sympathy until they repent and repay for that.