Eating His Seed Corn -- Digby

[erronis]

https://digbysblog.net/2026/02/04/eating-his-seed-corn/

I'm sure most farmers voted for Trump because of their overarching concerns about transgender kids but they seem to be realizing they made a mistake:

Current economic conditions and Trump administration policies could lead to "a widespread collapse of American agriculture," a bipartisan coalition of former Agriculture Department officials and leaders of farm groups warned in a letter on Tuesday.

The letter to the heads and ranking members of the House and Senate agricultural committees was signed by 27 influential figures in the farming sector, including former heads of powerful associations representing corn and soybean farmers and officials from the Bush and Reagan administrations. It expressed dismay at the "damage done to American farmers."

While there are many reasons for increasing farm bankruptcies and decreasing profits, "it is clear that the current administration's actions, along with congressional inaction, have increased costs for farm inputs, disrupted overseas and domestic markets, denied agriculture its reliable labor pool, and defunded critical ag research and staffing," the letter warned.

The signatories called on Congress to relax tariffs for the agriculture sector, expand international markets, pass a new farm bill and restore funding for agriculture research and staffing.

Oh heck.

I would assume that every sector of the economy would like Congress to relax tariffs due to exactly the same concerns. But they are whistling past the graveyard because Trump will never, ever give up on them entirely because they are his north star and have been for over 50 years. Sure he might whittle around the edges but he will continue to use them as threats because that's the main thing he loves about them. And that is what is creating all the uncertainty and the urgent need among foreign nations to find new markets and new suppliers.

. . .

[Shellback Squid]

1. "Decreasing Profits" the journalist is way under stating their situation

"While there are many reasons for increasing farm bankruptcies and decreasing profits, “it is clear that the current administration’s actions, along with congressional inaction, have increased costs for farm inputs, disrupted overseas and domestic markets, denied agriculture its reliable labor pool, and defunded critical ag research and staffing,” the letter warned"

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