Farmers voted overwhelmingly for President Trump last fall and they are ardent supporters to this day, according to a Farm Futures survey of 1,200 growers, as the president completed his sixth month in office. Some 49 percent gave Trump an “A” or a “B” grade on agriculture; only 10 percent, roughly the same portion who supported Democrat Hillary Clinton, gave him an “F.”
Trump vowed regulatory relief and tax reform for farmers and support for corn ethanol. In the Farm Futures poll, 86 percent of respondents agreed with the statement, “President Trump’s actions to reduce regulation are good for my farm.” By a 2-to-1 margin, they said NAFTA was good for their operations and most – 70 percent – said affordable health care was a challenge for them.
Some 39 percent selected “farm bill,” when given a list of issues and asked to identify the most important thing that Washington must address in the coming year, followed by tax reform, 23 percent, cut federal spending, 12 percent, and infrastructure spending, 8 percent. All other issues, including updating NAFTA and immigration reform, were chosen by 5 percent or fewer of the respondents. Three-fourths of participants agreed with the statement, “I’m worried the next farm bill will not provide an adequate safety net for my farm.”