Trump Approval Sky High in Ag
While general polls peg President Donald Trump’s approval rating in the low forties, the latest Farm Journal Pulse on the president’s approval shows solid support among those in agriculture.
President Trump’s approval in ag far surpasses a majority, reaching up to a 76% approval rating based on nearly 1,200 responses. Only 21% said they disapproved of Trump’s handling of his job as president. Three percent were not sure.
The poll is the first in a series to track sentiment on the president’s job performance amongst farmers, ranchers and ag businesses.
Polling tracking website FiveThirtyEight places the average favorable rating of President Trump in general polls at 42%. His favorable ratings range from the 38% reported by Gallup earlier this month up to 50% in a Harris Interactive poll just last week.
The high ag approval numbers follow a flurry of news from Washington that impacts rural America.
On Dec. 1, President Trump reached an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping to stall tariff increases and pursue resolution to a growing trade war. The announcement was followed by Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans and corn.
The Trump Administration announced the release of a second tranche of Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments to farmers designed to lessen the blow of price drops tied to Chinese tariffs.
The House and Senate have sent a farm bill to the White House which President Trump is expected to sign this week.
EPA announced new rules for the Waters of the U.S. regulation under the Clean Water Act which would limit federal reach in regulation of bodies of water.
While farmer support for the president comes amid a tough year for profitability, many applaud a tough trade stance against China.
“We’re all a little frustrated with what China has done on the soybean side, and just the whole grain marketing thing,” Ohio farmer Jed Bower told AgriTalk Radio host Chip Flory on Wednesday’s broadcast. “But I think we all realize that something needed to be done as far as trade overall. We’ve been taken advantage of for a long time… Now we have a president that’s willing to take on those battles.”
