Rural Midterm Candidates Target Big Ag as 63 U.S. Farmers a Day Go Under
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Sep 21
Rural Midterm Candidates Target Big Ag as 63 U.S. Farmers a Day Go Under
1 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Sep 21
Summary
Populist candidates in farm-heavy states are making agricultural conglomerates a central campaign target, arguing seed, chemical and fertilizer giants are squeezing farmers through consolidation, subsidies and political influence.
High input costs, low commodity prices and a trade conflict with Canada are fueling that message, with farm advocates saying 63 farmers a day are going out of business and rural voters increasingly see the pain as systemic.
Dan Osborn in Nebraska and Iowa Republican gubernatorial nominee Zach Lahn are naming companies including Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, Nutrien and Koch, while proposing steps such as ending tax incentives tied to further consolidation.
The backlash is also widening to Trump’s tariff-free foreign beef plan, which Osborn is attacking in a six-figure ad campaign as a sellout of ranchers even as farm-state Republicans publicly oppose the imports.
JD Vance echoed some anti-corporate rhetoric in Iowa by promising to protect farmland from corporations and foreign buyers, but he largely sidestepped diesel costs, tariffs and other pressures depressing farm incomes.
With farm debt projected to hit a record $624 billion in 2026, can tackling corporate agricultural monopolies truly lower costs for struggling rural communities?
How might emerging agricultural technologies and right-to-repair laws help farmers bypass the steep input costs currently dominated by industry giants?
As drought shrinks cattle herds, will importing cheaper foreign beef effectively stabilize consumer prices or permanently damage long-term U.S. food security?