Much of the presidential debates involve rehashing points of the last two presidential terms. Gun rights, immigration, and the conduct of Trump during his time in office are certainly important topics, but the impact of farming policy on consumers cannot be understated. In recent years, matters such asย repeated fires at livestock farmsย (which killed half a million farm animals in 2022), theย increase in farm pestsย due to climate change, supply shortages and higher costs due toย hurricanesย , theย nationwide herbicide shortageย , andย 5% food price inflationย hitting consumers all contributed to a less resilient farm and food system in the United States.
It may also be that farmers have fallen victim to the effect of being taken for granted. As they overwhelmingly support Republican candidates, Democrats feel like it is easier for them to paint farming as an environmental problem rather than addressing the intricacies and challenges of modern farming and the real hardships that professionals face. This is why farmer representatives would be better served to align their interests with those of consumers.
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Framing agriculture not merely as a niche policy issue but as one that affects purchasing power and consumer well-being can help shed more light on the views of presidential candidates, and it can pull agriculture out of its obscurity into the spotlight it deserves.
