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Are they? Farmers in the US just went a full month without selling a single soy bean to China. The last time it happened was seven years ago. Guess who was pres

Are they? Farmers in the US just went a full month without selling a single soy bean to China. The last time it happened was seven years ago. Guess who was president both times it happened. Guess who farmers overwhelmingly voted for? They regularly vote against their own business interests. Perhaps farmers in Nigeria are better educated.

mrguyorama 1y ago
The entire reason almost every modern country massively subsidizes and manages the staple food crops of their agricultural economy is that letting them rationally act in their best interests kept causing famines when farmers did dumb things, like cause the dust bowl. Central management of food supplies has been an essential part of societal stability since ancient times, and the USSR using "industrialization" and "centralization" of farming as an excuse to kill a bunch of "kulaks" does not undo that.
rpdillon 1y ago
I think farmers know about the trade war that Trump will create, but they also think he will do other things to help them. https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/10/02/trump-reportedly-eyeing-10-billion-farmer-bailout-using-tariffs-heres-what-to-know/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/10/02/tru... I was also curious about this, so I ended up watching a documentary a local politician made where she interviewed local farmers trying to figure out why they would vote against their own best interests, and the short answer was, net, they thought additional bailouts + deregulation of farming would outweigh the potential trade war.
- thinkingtoilet 1y ago
  They do not.
  - JumpCrisscross 1y ago
    Wyoming here. The farmers and ranchers are 100% convinced they’ll be bailed out. And honestly? They probably will. ICE basically stopped enforcing around here because the farmers threw a hissy fit.
    - thinkingtoilet 1y ago
      Of course they will, but losing your long term market for a short term bailout shows they don't understand the actual business ramifications of what they voted for. Great. You get a bail out. What's the long term plan when China keeps buying soybeans from other countries?

mrguyorama 1y ago

The entire reason almost every modern country massively subsidizes and manages the staple food crops of their agricultural economy is that letting them rationally act in their best interests kept causing famines when farmers did dumb things, like cause the dust bowl. Central management of food supplies has been an essential part of societal stability since ancient times, and the USSR using "industrialization" and "centralization" of farming as an excuse to kill a bunch of "kulaks" does not undo that.

rpdillon 1y ago

I think farmers know about the trade war that Trump will create, but they also think he will do other things to help them. https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/10/02/trump-reportedly-eyeing-10-billion-farmer-bailout-using-tariffs-heres-what-to-know/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/10/02/tru... I was also curious about this, so I ended up watching a documentary a local politician made where she interviewed local farmers trying to figure out why they would vote against their own best interests, and the short answer was, net, they thought additional bailouts + deregulation of farming would outweigh the potential trade war.

thinkingtoilet 1y ago
They do not.
- JumpCrisscross 1y ago
  Wyoming here. The farmers and ranchers are 100% convinced they’ll be bailed out. And honestly? They probably will. ICE basically stopped enforcing around here because the farmers threw a hissy fit.
  - thinkingtoilet 1y ago
    Of course they will, but losing your long term market for a short term bailout shows they don't understand the actual business ramifications of what they voted for. Great. You get a bail out. What's the long term plan when China keeps buying soybeans from other countries?