Local farmers can provide insight

We posed a question to readers the front page of the Sept. 5 edition of the newspaper, hoping to draw some activity in terms of letters to the editor.

Thus far, we have seen none.

So, let’s explore the question further.

A recent column in The Washington Post posited that some farmers have turned against President Donald Trump because his trade practices have had a negative financial impact on their operations. The column by Jennifer Rubin quoted an Ohio soybean and corn farmer as referring to trade assistance payments as “hush money” intended to “sedate” farmers.

The question we asked was whether or not local farmers who previously supported Trump have, in fact, turned on the president.

It seemed a relevant question for multiple reasons.

•Jay County backed the president in the 2016, with 71 percent of voters supporting the Trump-Pence ticket.

•We live in a heavily agricultural area.

•POET Biorefining, which has a plant in rural Portland, recently announced cutbacks that could have an impact on corn prices. The company blamed Trump administration decisions for those cuts.

So, we asked the question.

And while it can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no,” it’s the potential reasons behind those answers that would be far more informative.

For those who would answer “no” they have not turned on Trump, there may be many reasons, such as:

•Tariffs have not had a debilitating financial impact on their operations.

•There has been a negative financial impact from tariffs, but they are willing to endure it because they believe the outcome will ultimately be favorable.

•The impact of tariffs has been painful, but they support the president because of his stance on other issues.

The same can be said those who would answer “yes” they have turned on Trump. Their reasons may include that the tariffs have had too large of a financial impact to overcome, that they disagree with the overall tariff policy or that they oppose Trump’s stances on other issues.

If we had to guess, we would venture that, given Jay County’s voting history, most local farmers continue to back the president.

But if that is, in fact, the case, it would still be interesting to know the reasons behind that support. They may match those listed above. They may be different altogether.

All of us become better, more informed voters, when we have a deeper understanding of opinions across the political spectrum.

On the issue of tariffs and how they impact the agriculture sector, area voters could benefit from knowing how their farming neighbors feel. — R.C.