“From my discussions with other farmers, there is a higher level of dissatisfaction with what's going on with the [Trump] Administration,” says Rendel. “You didn't used to really see that, but now we're seeing it and hearing it.”
Three-quarters of rural voters described the cost of living in their communities as “fair” or “poor.” A Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted in June, had already put Trump's approval rating among rural Americans dropped at a new low of 50%, with just 31% approving of his handling of economic issues.
Farmers and agricultural experts interviewed by TIME described four overlapping pressures: Trump’s expansion of low-tariff beef imports, rising fertilizer and diesel costs stemming from a global energy crisis triggered by the Iran war, and tariffs that have increased some production costs while provoking retaliation against American exports.
In response, White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told TIME that Trump “has repeatedly affirmed his support for America’s great farmers and ranchers.”
Trump campaigned on promises to keep the U.S. out of foreign wars and focus on prosperity at home.
President Donald Trump walks past tractors as he arrives to participate in a roundtable on "American Agriculture" at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, on June 5, 2026. —Saul Loeb—Getty Images
The average price of ground beef in the U.S. has risen sharply since the end of 2020. It climbed from $5.58 per pound in August 2024 to $6.92 in August 2026, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Shrinking cattle herds sizes, drought and strong demand have all contributed to the increases. At the start of this year, the U.S. cattle inventory hit a 75-year low.
“A major part of [Trump’s] campaign to households around the U.S. two years ago, was the fact that they could keep inflation low,” says Joe Glauber, a research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, noting that many rural Americans and farmers are concerned that this hasn’t materialized.
But the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), an agriculture lobbying group, has urged Trump to reverse course, citing its own analysis that found the increased imports have not lowered prices for consumers. The AFBF tracked daily prices of 80% lean ground beef at 41 grocery stores in 22 states, starting the day after the proclamation went into effect. In 30 of those 41 stores, ground beef prices cost relatively the same on Sep. 23 as they did on Sep. 2.
“I haven't talked to one rancher that's not upset about it,” says Miller. “Just the packers and the processors are reaping the benefits, not the consumer or the cattle rancher. Calves that are going to market now are bringing $300-500 a head less.”
“Cattle producers increasingly feel that Trump is willing to throw them under the bus to try to get lower beef prices before the election,” Peel tells TIME. “None of the political actions have had any significant impact on beef prices and there is no quick solution to high beef prices.”
“For Republicans, as a rule, our strongest voting bloc is the rural areas of the United States,” says Miller.
Recent ICE raids targeting meatpacking plants across Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas are also causing concern and placing further strain on the U.S. beef supply chain.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Sept. 25 disputed the nature of the raids and said “ICE is not conducting worksite operations in Kansas.” Industry groups said worker absences nevertheless forced some plants to close temporarily.
Supporters of President Donald Trump carry lawn signs at the Westmoreland Fair fair in Pennsylvania on Aug. 21, 2024. —Andrew Lichtenstein—Getty ImagesFertilizer
Rising fertilizer costs, combined with extreme weather in Montana over the past year, has led Sheffels to conclude that “we are not able to produce our crops and make money doing it.”
“We just got done seeding this fall, and the cost of starter fertilizer, which has a lot of potassium in it, was just under $1,000 a ton,” he says. “Last year, it was $600 a ton.”
The shipping of natural gas exports via the Strait of Hormuz “remained effectively suspended” through August, according to data published last month, while other fertilizer product exports “remained sporadic and subdued” across the month.
The price of anhydrous ammonia was up 9.3% as of late September compared to late February, before the onset of the war. The price of urea is up 7.9% for the same period, according to data from analytics company DTN.
Workers spread fertilizer after planting potatoes at Bluff View Farms in West Jefferson, North Carolina, on April 24, 2026. —Allison Joyce—Getty ImagesTrump signed an Executive Order last week to waive the off-road requirement for a specific type of tax-free diesel fuel primarily used by the agriculture industry. Temporarily allowing highway use of red-dyed diesel “will put money directly back in the pockets of American farmers, truckers, and workers,” the White House said. While it may help lessen the costs associated with the transportation of harvested goods, Rendel says it “won’t be the solution for our farm economy woes.”
Prior to these efforts, Trump floated the possibility of a diesel export ban. But he ruled out the idea on Oct. 2 as the G7 group of nations committed to a co-ordinated release of 100 million barrels of diesel alongside other reserves through the International Energy Agency (IEA), in an effort to stabilise world energy markets.
“Diesel directly affects farm production costs for field operations, planting, harvesting, and for shipping both inputs and outputs,” says Peel. “The impact [when prices are increased] is very immediate.”
Rendel is already feeling the impact. Last month, he explains, he had diesel delivered to his farm that cost him over $5 a gallon.
“Fuel is a real strong pain point for everyone. As long as the war is going on, there's really not going to be any significant relief available,” he adds.
“If fertilizer prices rise, which they have risen over the past year or so, you can really look at your soil fertility and make decisions that can save you some money. When seed prices go up, you can shop around and maybe find less expensive seed or reduce your seeding rates,” Rendel says. “But fuel's not that way. My combine, when I'm harvesting soybeans, uses about 200 gallons of fuel per day, and that doesn't change.”
Sheffels is feeling the impact of transport costs as a result of diesel fuel prices, too. “We're having to pay more to get our grain moved around in the short term,” he says. “In the long term, it's going to have a huge [financial] impact because of the distances.”
The Agriculture Department's display at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., on June 25, 2026. —Jim West/Universal Images Group—Getty ImagesTariffs
The renewed trade war with Canada has added to concerns for farmers in the U.S., after negotiations between the two countries collapsed in August. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods took effect last month, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney matching the levies imposed by the Trump Administration. Canada's counter tariffs apply to products covering $27.6 billion in imports from the U.S., focusing on sectors such as steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, among other products.
Overall, tariffs on key production inputs have imposed roughly $2.6 billion in additional costs on crop farmers from February 2025 through July 2026, according to data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.
Soybeans remained the top U.S. agricultural export to China in 2025, even as shipments fell by roughly three-quarters between 2024 and 2025 amid Trump’s implementation of wide ranging tariffs on Beijing.
Sheffels says the repeated policy shifts are disruptive for farmers across America.
With the midterms fast approaching, the question for Republicans is whether that frustration will change how some farmers vote—or whether they vote at all.
Hence then, the article about how trump s policies are testing farmers loyalty ahead of midterms was published today ( ) and is available on Time ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( How Trump’s Policies Are Testing Farmers’ Loyalty Ahead of Midterms )
Also on site :
- APOD: 2026 October 12 – Jupiter and the Moons
- Pamela Smart was convicted after a 14-day trial in 1991 of being an accomplice to her husband’s murder; she admitted responsibility in 2024 and is still serving life without parole
- Harry Styles Dedicates Moment to Oscar Belgal After ICE Shooting: ‘Look After Each Other,’ He Tells NYC Crowd