Wisconsin Farmers Still Split With Supporting Trump?

 

Photo: The New Yorker

Earlier this week, a blog post appeared on this site discussing the hit to farmers that the Trump administration has been dealing over the last few years. Farmers across America have been bearing the brunt of a prolonged trade war with China.  Although, the problems with trade and farming have been around for decades.  Increasingly over the last, these problems have gotten worse.

Just yesterday, I was reading an article in The New Yorker titled "How Suffering Farmers May Determine Trump’s Fate" and could not think about the staggering statistics about the loss of farms in the state of Wisconsin:

Wisconsin has seven thousand dairy farms, roughly half the number that it had a decade ago. Yet the number of cows has remained constant, because of consolidation and the proliferation of factory dairy farms, some of which have herds of more than five thousand cows.

The statistic centered around loss was devastating to me.  I am astounded by the fact that farmers are willing to accept the loss of farms as acceptable. In the same article, there was a discussion of suicide and depression among farmers about the loss of business or converting their crops from cows. 

Additionally, the lead farmer interviewed for the article had this to say about supporting President Trump during the 2016 election:

For Volenec, Trump’s appeal vanished almost immediately. “If I had known the things I know about him now, I wouldn’t have voted for him,” he said, when I visited him at his farm in February. As Trump’s trade wars escalated, Volenec’s problems worsened.

This is the reality of our nation's farmers who put food on the table at which you and I eat at.  The suffering is staggering.  Add into the mix the pandemic.  Change is on the horizon.  Change that is meaningful to promote health to an unhealthy nation that is run by a disorganized and chaotic White House.

What amazed me most about the article was the unwavering support of some mentioned for President Trump.  The time has come to wake up and change.