Farmer sentiment heading into the midterm elections is being shaped by rising input costs, trade uncertainty, and concerns about rural communities, according to a May 18 poll of Farm Journal readers.
More than half of surveyed farmers say federal policies have negatively affected their operations over the past year. As expenses for diesel, fertilizer, and machinery continue to rise, some farmers describe current conditions as the most difficult since the 1980s.
Fred Yoder of Plain City, Ohio said fuel costs are especially burdensome this season. “They’re all important this year, but unfortunately right now fuel is really costing us about $1,500 of cash per day to run two tractors,” Yoder said. “That’s a lot.” He also noted that fertilizer prices have increased dramatically over his career: “I’ve spent many years buying potash for $90 a ton, and now it’s $670 to $700 a ton,” Yoder said. “The same potash, but it’s just a different time.” Machinery repair has become another challenge due to tariffs on imported parts. “A lot of those machinery repair items are made overseas and so they’re subject to tariffs and duties,” he said. “It’s really kind of a perfect storm…they are all coming together at once.”
Yoder called today’s environment the toughest in decades: “It’s just ridiculous,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything this bad since the 1980s.” He added that younger farmers face growing financial stress as margins tighten: “We’ve had more dispersal sales planned for this coming year than I’ve seen since the 1980s…that’s our future and we have to make sure that they have a way to survive.”
Kristin Duncanson from Mapleton, Minnesota echoed these worries but highlighted trade policy uncertainty as another major concern: “It would be easy for me to say that it’s just trade and tariffs…but that kind of leads into the overall economy,” Duncanson said. She also expressed concern about fewer agricultural voices in Washington: “There are just fewer champions for us,” she said.
Nearly three-quarters of producers believe elected officials do not fully understand farming realities. Both Yoder and Duncanson pointed out that public perception does not always reflect farm hardships or how little producers receive compared with retail food prices.
Healthcare access was identified by Duncanson as one of rural communities’ biggest issues: “We’ve seen several rural hospitals and clinics in our area close…it’s tough to attract folks or keep folks out here when there’s not a good healthcare system.” She also mentioned renewable fuels and upcoming trade agreements such as NAFTA among important election issues.
Yoder concluded by emphasizing opposition among Ohio farmers toward tariffs: “The majority has got a very, very hard line against tariffs,” he said. “We hate tariffs. We want markets.” He suggested innovation could help reduce risk in agriculture moving forward.
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