American farmers backed Donald Trump by overwhelming margins in 2024. He promised lower costs, stronger trade deals and a government that understood rural America.
Sixteen months later, 55% now say his policies have hurt their operations. Most of them are still planning to vote Republican anyway.
That contradiction sits at the center of a new Amato Advisors and Farm Journal poll of 974 farmers and ranchers across 44 states, conducted in April 2026. The report described the agricultural sector as being under “deep economic strain and high political motivation” heading into the midterms.
Only 19% said Trump’s policies had helped their operations. Another 26% either saw no effect or were unsure.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
The list of complaints is long and expensive. Immigration raids have left farms struggling to find workers to plant and harvest crops. Tariffs pushed up the cost of fertilizer and equipment while shrinking overseas export markets at the same time.
The trade war with China has been especially painful for soybean farmers, who lost one of their largest export markets.
Then came the Iran war. The report found that 94% of farmers believe the conflict will hurt their businesses through higher fuel costs, fertilizer costs or both.
Even many Republican farmers now sound politically exhausted while still refusing to fully break away.
Joe Newland, president of the Kansas Farmers Bureau, told The New Republic that he was “probably not supportive of 100 percent of Trump’s actions, by any means — maybe not 75 percent,” while still praising administration trade officials as “some of the best minds that we’ve had in probably many years.”
That is the political math holding this coalition together right now. The policies hurt, but many still believe the alternative would hurt more.
The bigger warning sign for Republicans may be hiding deeper in the numbers. Farmers still trust Republicans over Democrats on trade policy by 22 points, but 39% said they are either considering another party or remain undecided ahead of the midterms.
In states like Iowa, where Senate races are already expected to be close, that number could become a serious problem for incumbents who have long depended on the farm vote.
Meanwhile, the financial pressure keeps getting worse. Farm bankruptcies have surged since Trump returned to office, making agriculture one of the most economically strained groups inside the Republican base.
The White House is now floating a $12 billion bailout package for struggling farmers, which would become the second major farm rescue plan of Trump’s presidency. The first came during his 2018 trade war with China.
Featured image via X screengrab
