September 9, 2025

How Trump's tariffs hit many farmers while Biden pushed rural investments

Desperate farmers beg Trump for relief as trade wars destroy livelihoods

The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects roughly a $49.5 billion agricultural trade deficit for fiscal 2025.

The Trump administration''s 2025 tariff campaign and earlier trade battles prompted emergency farm aid of about $28 billion in 2018–2020 and new tariff steps in 2025.

The Biden administration announced over $5 billion in targeted rural investments during an ''Investing in Rural America'' tour and the Inflation Reduction Act directed more than $12 billion to USDA energy and climate programs.

SNAP policy changes are separate and complex; boosting SNAP was a policy priority at different points, but the original description conflates discrete programs and totals.

The USDA revised its fiscal 2025 outlook to project an agricultural trade deficit near $49.5 billion.

The Trump administration temporarily cut an escalated tariff rate from 145% to 30% for a 90‑day truce on May 12, 2025. That pause followed months of reciprocal increases and accompanied parallel Chinese reductions.

USDA outlooks for fiscal 2025 showed imports rising toward the $220 billion range while exports were forecast near the $170–173 billion range; those figures moved during subsequent USDA quarterly updates. Use USDA's quarterly trade outlook for the official numbers and revisions.

Emergency farm aid of roughly $28 billion paid in 2018–2020 came through the Market Facilitation Program and related USDA emergency programs. Those payments offset some losses from the 2018–19 trade war.

The American Farm Bureau Federation said 'approximately 85% of our total potash supply is imported from Canada,' highlighting fertilizer vulnerability more precisely than saying fertilizer is '85% imported.'

China and other trading partners applied retaliatory duties targeting roughly $21–22 billion in U.S. agricultural products in 2025, hitting soybeans, pork, beef, cotton and other exports.

Farm groups including the American Farm Bureau warned that additional tariffs would 'take a toll on rural America.' That is a policy position, not a quantitative causal finding.

Public opinion among farmers about tariffs varies by region and commodity. A blanket 70% support figure could not be verified with the sources reviewed and should be treated as unconfirmed.

🚜Agriculture🏛️Government📈Trade

People, bills, and sources

Zippy Duvall

American Farm Bureau Federation President

Tom Vilsack

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

What You Can Do

1

understanding

Track USDA quarterly trade outlooks

Check USDA's quarterly Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade for official import/export projections and revisions.

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2

civic action

Apply for rural programs

Use USDA Rural Development portals to apply for broadband, renewable energy, and community grants described in federal rural funding packages.

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