WASHINGTON, DC — Last week, U.S. Representative Angie Craig (D-MN-02), Wisconsin State Senator Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska), former U.S. Representative Bob Etheridge (D-NC), and Iowa Farmers’ Union President Aaron Lehman joined a Defend America Action press call on how Donald Trump’s trade wars, his war in Iran, and his mass deportation agenda are bankrupting America’s farmers. As part of the call, DAA released a new report highlighting the toll Trump’s policies have taken on those farmers and agricultural communities.
Here’s what Americans are reading and watching on the generational crisis facing farmers in this country:
News 8 Now: Wisconsin Farmers Struggle With Rising Costs While Consumers Face Higher Grocery Prices
“Farmers who grow the food that we enjoy and we need; they can barely break even. But yet we as consumers, we go to the store, we are seeing prices go up and up. Something isn’t working out,” Pfaff said during the online event.
Brownfield Ag News: Democrats Warn Trump Trade, Economic Policies Are Costing Farmers
During a webinar hosted by Angie Craig Tuesday, the Minnesota Democrat said the war in Iran has driven up fertilizer and fuel prices.
“Our largest agricultural competitors like Brazil and Argentina are seizing the markets that U.S. farmers spent decades and billions of dollars to develop, because the White House has blown up trade agreements with our [closest] allies and chief rivals alike.”
WIZM: Onalaska Sen. Pfaff, US House Rep. Craig, Blast Federal Agriculture Policy in New Report Detailing ‘Crisis’ for Area Farmers
The report, published by advocacy group Defend America Action, says the combination of trade disputes, international conflict and cuts to federal safety nets are driving up farm bankruptcies and squeezing family operations.
According to the group’s data, farm bankruptcies are up 46% across the country, while 70% of farmers report being unable to afford all the fertilizer they need.
Wisconsin farmers are at the center of a national conversation about trade policy and rising costs. Today, Democratic lawmakers, including Wisconsin State Senator Brad Pfaff, joined a press call to discuss the financial pressure facing American farmers.
“Who and what are we prioritizing as a nation? Are we prioritizing our family farmers and our rural communities and our rural residents, or are we playing partisan games?”
Today, Defend America Action, an organization that highlights what it says are the impacts of Trump-era policies, hosted Midwest farmer and local political leaders. They discussed how trade and labor decisions have affected farmers, from changes to exports to higher diesel costs during the planting season.
“Total farm debt in this nation is reaching record highs. They are projecting nearly $624 billion of farm debt in 2026. We know the reasons.”
Watch the full press call here.
