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Trump joint session speech: "So to our farmers, have a lot of fun. I love you too. I love you too."

BCP1928

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Wait, where did all the talk about corporate welfare go?
I could make a lot of money if the government gave me $400,000 to pay my seasonal staff
"Poor me, I can't keep leaching off the government and taking advantage of migrants "
That's not an accurate characterization of the situation and it's not the main point anyway. The main point is, that she was offered the grant and planned around the reasonable expectation of getting it, and it was suddenly cut off. If she knew ahead of time she wasn't going to get it she would have planned something different.
 
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Aryeh Jay

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'This is pushing me left': Beekeeper who voted for Trump three times hit hard by economy

North Carolina farmer Jim Hartman, who operates Secret Garden Bees, told CNN that he voted for Trump all three times, but he's not sure he would have made the same decision in November if he knew what the president's tariffs and funding cuts would do to his honey business, reported The Daily Beast.

half of his business comes from selling honey to the government to use at food banks and in schools through a Department of Agriculture [program] that was suddenly ended.

“For a lot of other local farmers around here, that was a major source of reliable revenue,” he said.

“I never thought I was going to lose this much money this fast,” Hartman said.

Have a lot of fun!

I tried bees once, a beekeeper told me if I could make $1000 keeping bees, I could make $10,000 doing anything else.
 
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essentialsaltes

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Farmers in Trump country were counting on clean energy grants. Then the government moved the goalposts.

Thousands of farmers and small rural businesses remain in limbo as USDA demands grant rewrites favoring fossil fuels over renewables.

Some of the roughly 6,000 grant applicants have already completed the solar, wind or other energy projects and are awaiting promised repayment from the government. Others say they can’t afford to take on the projects they’d been planning unless the grant money comes through.

Minnesota strawberry farmer Andy Petran said he suspects many previously approved projects won’t be funded. He’d been approved for a $39,625 grant to install solar panels on his farm.

“It’s not like any small farmer who is looking to put solar panels on their farms will be able to put a natural gas refinery or a coal refinery on the farm,” Petran said. “I don’t know what they expect me to switch to.”

“Winning these grants was a contract between us and the government,” he said. “There was a level of trust there. That trust has been broken.”

GOP lawmakers silent​

Using USDA data, Floodlight identified the top 10 congressional districts that received the most grants. They’re all represented by Republicans who have said little publicly about the funding freezes affecting thousands of their constituents.

Have a lot of fun!
 
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Aryeh Jay

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The Amish farmers near me aren't hit at all, they don't accept government handouts, are seed savers, and for the most part more sustainable than any industrial mega farm.
 
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essentialsaltes

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‘Shock to the system’: farmers hit by Trump’s tariffs and cuts say they need another bailout

With extreme weather and Trump’s looming trade war, US farmers are reeling and resigned to needing more cash help

“There’s a lot of uncertainty around and I hate to be used as a bargaining chip. I am definitely worried,” said Travis Johnson, who lost more than 1,000 acres of cotton, sorghum and corn after a year’s rain fell within 48 hours in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) in southern Texas last month, turning parched fields into lakes.

“I can see how some tariffs might help us compete with Mexico but are we really getting targeted by every other country or are we on the wrong side of this? We’ve already had two years of absolute disaster with falling prices and weather patterns … no farmer wants this but without a bailout this could be devastating and a lot more people could go under,” Johnson said.

The loss in federal programs [that buy food from farmers and give it to freeloaders] alone would have been tough to cope with, but then came the trade chaos. Trump’s tariff announcements began when most farmers already had spring crops in the ground – or at the very least had prepared the land and purchased inputs such as seeds and pesticides, making it impossible to switch to crops that could potentially find a market domestically.

As of Friday, at least 15 agricultural department programs worth billions of dollars to American farmers and rural communities remain frozen, according to Politico, more than two months after they were halted for review to ensure compliance with Trump’s priorities opposing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts as well as his crackdown on climate change initiatives.

Have a lot of fun!
 
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Nithavela

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‘Shock to the system’: farmers hit by Trump’s tariffs and cuts say they need another bailout

With extreme weather and Trump’s looming trade war, US farmers are reeling and resigned to needing more cash help

“There’s a lot of uncertainty around and I hate to be used as a bargaining chip. I am definitely worried,” said Travis Johnson, who lost more than 1,000 acres of cotton, sorghum and corn after a year’s rain fell within 48 hours in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) in southern Texas last month, turning parched fields into lakes.

“I can see how some tariffs might help us compete with Mexico but are we really getting targeted by every other country or are we on the wrong side of this? We’ve already had two years of absolute disaster with falling prices and weather patterns … no farmer wants this but without a bailout this could be devastating and a lot more people could go under,” Johnson said.

The loss in federal programs [that buy food from farmers and give it to freeloaders] alone would have been tough to cope with, but then came the trade chaos. Trump’s tariff announcements began when most farmers already had spring crops in the ground – or at the very least had prepared the land and purchased inputs such as seeds and pesticides, making it impossible to switch to crops that could potentially find a market domestically.

As of Friday, at least 15 agricultural department programs worth billions of dollars to American farmers and rural communities remain frozen, according to Politico, more than two months after they were halted for review to ensure compliance with Trump’s priorities opposing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts as well as his crackdown on climate change initiatives.

Have a lot of fun!
Nothing says balancing the budget like having to give the farmers lots of money every couple of years so they don't all go belly up.
 
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GoldenBoy89

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‘Shock to the system’: farmers hit by Trump’s tariffs and cuts say they need another bailout

With extreme weather and Trump’s looming trade war, US farmers are reeling and resigned to needing more cash help

“There’s a lot of uncertainty around and I hate to be used as a bargaining chip. I am definitely worried,” said Travis Johnson, who lost more than 1,000 acres of cotton, sorghum and corn after a year’s rain fell within 48 hours in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) in southern Texas last month, turning parched fields into lakes.

“I can see how some tariffs might help us compete with Mexico but are we really getting targeted by every other country or are we on the wrong side of this? We’ve already had two years of absolute disaster with falling prices and weather patterns … no farmer wants this but without a bailout this could be devastating and a lot more people could go under,” Johnson said.

The loss in federal programs [that buy food from farmers and give it to freeloaders] alone would have been tough to cope with, but then came the trade chaos. Trump’s tariff announcements began when most farmers already had spring crops in the ground – or at the very least had prepared the land and purchased inputs such as seeds and pesticides, making it impossible to switch to crops that could potentially find a market domestically.

As of Friday, at least 15 agricultural department programs worth billions of dollars to American farmers and rural communities remain frozen, according to Politico, more than two months after they were halted for review to ensure compliance with Trump’s priorities opposing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts as well as his crackdown on climate change initiatives.

Have a lot of fun!
Gosh, who knew foreign trade was so complicated?!
 
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essentialsaltes

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1744921822358.png


A lot of (partly fantasy) detail about last time. But what about this time?

Is he going to 'reward' the farmers with tax money again? Is he now these patriots to just hold on? How does he intend to PROTECT OUR FARMERS???
 
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essentialsaltes

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Farmers face frozen jobs and heavier workloads under DOGE ‘efficiency’ budget​

Billions in halted or canceled grants, gutted local offices, market turmoil and broken trust are at stake across the West.

One [Farm Services Administration] FSA office in Montana where rancher Bill Milton lives, went from five staff to one. Other offices around the rural West shuttered completely. The changes are creating a “disturbing amount of uncertainty,” Milton said. The office helps Montana landowners identify grants and file critical paperwork so money funnels into on-the-ground projects. Without enough employees around, deadlines are missed, and farmers are left out to dry.

“The squeaky wheel gets the grease, so people are putting pressure on their congressmen to release signed grants,” he said. “But everyone has staff. And as soon as grants get frozen, they have cash-flow issues.”

[Milton is concerned things may be going to 'heck'.]
 
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essentialsaltes

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Report: China halts US corn, soybean orders

The trade wars have cost the United States its position as China’s No. 1 soybean supplier. Brazil has taken that spot, and Nikkei reported that Chinese negotiators traveled to Brazil last week to hold bilateral discussions to further expand imports of Brazilian soybeans.
Soybeans are the number one export from the US to China.
Have a lot of fun!
 
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essentialsaltes

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Low prices and Trump's trade war are pushing these Northwest farmers to the brink

Typically more than 90% of all the wheat grown here ends up in countries like Japan, Korea and the Philippines, where it's used for noodles, confections and crackers. This is how it's been for as long as Jim Moyer can remember. His family first started farming along the rolling, fertile Palouse region of Washington in the 1890s.

The Northwest states — Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon — have some of the highest wheat yields in the world. More than the U.S. could ever consume. Behne says it would be hard to abruptly downscale all of this or slow down or stop exporting.

...

And it's not looking like the tariffs will bring those prices [of farm equipment] down.

"The assumption was that it would have been done strategically, with some thought and planning," Moyer says. "We need certainty."

Farmers are still recovering from the first Trump trade war

Uncertainty is something people across America's heartland are talking about, whether it be wheat farmers in states like Washington or Montana, or corn and soybean growers in North Dakota and Indiana. It's yet unclear what farmers stand to gain from the second Trump administration's trade policies. Across the rural Midwest and West, plenty of farmers still fly Trump 2024 flags over their barns, but quietly worry his latest trade war will bankrupt them.
 
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essentialsaltes

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Trump officials delayed farm trade report over deficit forecast, removed written analysis

Administration officials blocked publication of written analysis that normally accompanies the report because they disliked what it said about the deficit.

The numbers run counter to President Donald Trump’s messaging that his economic policies, including tariffs, will reduce U.S. trade imbalances. The politically inconvenient data prompted administration officials to block publication of the written analysis normally attached to the report because they disliked what it said about the deficit.

It’s not clear when or if the written analysis portion will be released.

The previous forecast, published in February, projected a deficit of $49 billion for the current fiscal year, an increase from the November 2024 report. The new analysis revises the projection to a record $49.5 billion, beating the previous record of $31.8 billion in fiscal 2024.

Have a lot of fun! And transparency!
 
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essentialsaltes

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Florida farmers now plowing over perfectly good tomatoes as Trump’s tariff policies cause prices to plummet

Tony DiMare’s family owns 4,000 acres of tomato farms across Florida and California. Sadly, his Florida crops are not looking good — mowed over and left to rot, like tomato vines across the state.

DiMare told WSVN 7 Miami that President Donald Trump’s tariff and immigration policies are driving farmers to abandon their crops.

“We have to secure our borders south and north, but you have to have a workforce in this country,” he told the Financial Post.

The labor shortage also means Florida farmers have to pay more for labor. At the same time, they’re getting less money for their produce due to Trump’s tariff policies.

Florida farmers saw the wholesale price of a box of tomatoes plummet from $16 per box to $3 or $4. DiMare said tomato farmers need around $10 or $11 per box to break even.

“You can’t even afford to pick them right now,” said Heather Moehling, president of the Miami-Dade County Farm Bureau. “Between the cost of the labor and the inputs that goes in, it’s more cost-effective for the farmers to just plow them right now.”

It’s not just Florida tomato growers feeling the pinch. Canada has imposed a 25% tariff on U.S. watermelons in retaliation for Trump’s tariffs on Canadian products. DiMare knows one watermelon grower who’s lost Canadian customers to Mexican watermelon suppliers as a result.
 
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Nithavela

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Florida farmers now plowing over perfectly good tomatoes as Trump’s tariff policies cause prices to plummet

Tony DiMare’s family owns 4,000 acres of tomato farms across Florida and California. Sadly, his Florida crops are not looking good — mowed over and left to rot, like tomato vines across the state.

DiMare told WSVN 7 Miami that President Donald Trump’s tariff and immigration policies are driving farmers to abandon their crops.

“We have to secure our borders south and north, but you have to have a workforce in this country,” he told the Financial Post.

The labor shortage also means Florida farmers have to pay more for labor. At the same time, they’re getting less money for their produce due to Trump’s tariff policies.

Florida farmers saw the wholesale price of a box of tomatoes plummet from $16 per box to $3 or $4. DiMare said tomato farmers need around $10 or $11 per box to break even.

“You can’t even afford to pick them right now,” said Heather Moehling, president of the Miami-Dade County Farm Bureau. “Between the cost of the labor and the inputs that goes in, it’s more cost-effective for the farmers to just plow them right now.”

It’s not just Florida tomato growers feeling the pinch. Canada has imposed a 25% tariff on U.S. watermelons in retaliation for Trump’s tariffs on Canadian products. DiMare knows one watermelon grower who’s lost Canadian customers to Mexican watermelon suppliers as a result.
I'm sure tomato prices will increase soon enough when they are seen as the luxury commodity that they are.
 
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essentialsaltes

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"Our farmers are being hurt badly," Trump said during an event in the White House East Room when asked about his position [on deporting non-violent aliens, including farm workers]. "You know, they have very good workers. They've worked for them for 20 years. They're not citizens, but they've turned out to be, you know, great."

Have a lot of fun!
 
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