Former President Donald Trump, responding to a survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation, is throwing his support behind increasing commodity price supports and other assistance for producers.
“Improvements must be made to Reference Prices, Crop Insurance, Dairy Margin Coverage and more Specialty Crop Insurance. American agriculture is built on science, technology and innovation and we must stay ahead of China with our science investments,” Trump says in his response to questions in the AFBF survey.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign responded to the survey in a letter that touts various Biden administration initiatives, including those aimed at protecting small farmers from unfair competition.
Harris also notes that Trump, as president, “proposed deep cuts to programs” that are “essential to farmers and ranchers — including coverage for changes in crop yields and price, as well as rural job training and workforce development.”
She also says that proposals in the Heritage Foundation’-led Project 2025 agenda would “give more handouts to the super-wealthy, while making crop insurance and other necessities for family farmers even more expensive.”
Project 2025, whose authors included many veterans of the Trump administration, is intended to serve as a blueprint for a second Trump administration. Trump insists he had nothing to do with its development, and has said some unspecified proposals are "abysmal,"
Project 2025's proposals to eliminate commodity programs and cut crop insurance subsidies are fundamentally at odds with Trump's call for increasing farm assistance. But some of the regulatory reform proposals are in with Trump's survey responses.
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In the AFBF survey, for example, Trump says he would “commit to lowering your energy bills by half in the first year,” and promised to end “the Kamala-Biden ‘net zero’ lunacy,” a reference to Biden’s commitment to slash U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
The Harris letter reiterates her pledge to “crack down on unfair mergers and acquisitions involving big food corporations to help create a level playing field for competition in which all farmers and ranchers thrive and consumers have more choices and lower prices. … Her plan will also support family farmers, ranchers, and other small businesses, and strengthen competition in the agricultural supply chain.”
The survey included a question about what the candidates would do to prevent states from regulating farming practices outside their borders.
Trump says he would “use all authority under the Constitution and U.S. law” to block such efforts. He doesn’t say what authority he has to do that, but adds, “I will also direct the Department of Justice and the Department of Agriculture to actively monitor – and strongly oppose – any further efforts to limit the ability of American farmers to sell their products anywhere in this great country.”
The Harris letter says “excessive red tape” can be a burden for small farms and says the Biden administration was worked to “improve and modernize the process of regulatory review, enhance public participation, and improve regulatory analysis.”
On other issues:
Ag labor: Both Trump and the Harris are vague as to what they would do to increase access to workers. “I will prioritize merit-based immigration, ensuring those admitted to our country contribute to our economy and strengthen our country,” Trump said.
The Harris letter notes that the H-2A program has expanded under the Biden administration and cites Trump’s threat of “mass deportations.”
The letter goes on to say Harris believes in “smart solutions to reform our broken immigration system. This means improving our legal immigration system to function better for our economy, farmers, and workers, and reform that includes both strong border security and an earned path to citizenship.”
Energy and environmental issues: Trump asserts that because of a 2018 law, presumably the farm bill, farmers “sequester far more greenhouse gases than what they emit while increasing their productivity. No one does it better.”
Trump vows to “dramatically” increase the number of places where E15 could be sold nationwide. "We won’t just increase Ethanol production in our own country, we will make it our mission to export ethanol all over the world,” he said.
Trump also promises to “immediately stop all Biden/Harris policies that limit the ability of landowners to make a living and save farmers from ridiculous regulations that drive-up costs.” He adds, “The EPA shall never micromanage your land. I will refocus agencies back to their core missions."
The Harris letter says she and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, believe "every person in America has a right to clean water" and that they "will fight for the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water. "
In addition, "Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are committed to preserving biodiversity across our nation. She believes that conservation hinges on locally led, cooperative initiatives that consider all Americans — including American farmers and ranch owners."
The Harris letter also touts her role in casting the deciding vote in the Inflation Reduction Act, which included $10 billion in rural renewable energy funding.
Trade: Trump pledges to fight barriers to ag exports “with every tool at my disposal,” saying the growing ag trade deficit “plainly results from unfair trading practices abroad.” He also reiterates his pledge to impose across-the-board tariffs on U.S. imports and “prioritize American producers over foreign outsourcers.”
The Harris letter says she “will not tolerate unfair trade practices from China or any competitor that undermines American farmers and ranchers.”
Taxes: Trump pledges to make permanent expiring provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and to “pursue” additional, unspecified tax cuts. Among other things, the TCJA created a 20% deduction for pass-through business income and doubled the estate exemption.
The Harris letter says she will “fight for a tax code that is more fair for everyone—including America’s hardworking farmers and ranchers—and doesn’t just benefit the most wealthy among us.”
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