Farm Tensions Escalate as USDA Staffer Is Threatened in Midwest

[yortsed snacilbuper]

In a sign of rising tensions with the farm community, the Trump administration withdrew staff from a privately run tour of Midwestern corn and soybean fields after a government employee was threatened.

Meanwhile, Delayne Johnson, chief executive officer of Quad County Corn Processors, a Northwest Iowa ethanol producer, told reporters in Iowa that he was unsure who he’d vote for president in 2020 after supporting Trump in 2016.

“I will be listening to each candidate’s platform on biofuels because it’s extremely important to me and all Iowa farmers,” Johnson said. The person he votes for would be someone who takes action and “not just talk about supporting agriculture and ethanol.”

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1. The story is very short on details of the threat

And considering the sensitive nature of this administration, it could be something as innocuous as someone saying they didn't like what the Trump administration's policies were doing to his farm. It's difficult to gauge the seriousness of this threat, and the Trump administration doesn't enjoy really high credibility. Color me skeptical of this threat; I'm more inclined to think that the administration ducked out of this privately run tour because they'd get an earful of critical comments.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Big thank you for your post.

Your observation on the Tour cancel sounds like what I have heard from a person who would have been associated with that so called tour.

The real tension point is,a handful of mega operators seemed to get all that bailout money and Hundreds of smaller operators got peanuts. Input costs have to be paid and it is pretty much the same for everyone as to cost per acre. So the Mega Farm will be able to stave off some grief were as the little Guy not so much.

Famous comment from John Deere last week,"well those Guy's will use those bail out checks to buy new Tractor's and Combines",yah right. New Tractor price tag,500k,new Combine500k-900k.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. Johnson will vote Trump again in 2020.

Guaranteed.

They can't help themselves.

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4. That's entirely possible

But maybe we can peel off a few percent of voters with some appearances in those precincts by Democrats. Give them some information they don't usually get from Fox. Create a little local excitement. Show those fighting the good fight in those areas that they matter to the national party. Talk to the local media without the Fox filter.

We don't have to persuade every blockhead stubbornly voting for Trump as a means of triggering the libs; but taking just a few percent of voters out of the R column and moving them to the D column could have a very gratifying effect.

[Atticus]

5. IMHO, this scheduled Trump visit was cancelled because Perdue and the rest of the

"advance team" were getting their asses handed to them by angry farmers at every stop. They weren't finding any "sons o' the soil" who were willing to cuddle up and make nice with the lying ignoramus who was bankrupting so many.

So, the (inspecific) phone threat to the (unnamed) "government employee" was tossed out as the excuse for "Corporal Bonespurs" to avoid a bad photo op.

(Trump is likely in a pout about not being able to make "engine noises" while sitting on a real tractor.)