By Bruno Donizette
The administration of President Donald Trump has promised $15 billion to American farmers in the middle of the midterm election campaign, as the president works to keep the Republican majority in Congress. The message is direct: those who plant, raise livestock and feed the country will not be left behind. The news was reported by the Brazilian outlet Visão da Direita, citing Bacci Últimas.
More than half of the farm aid goes to diesel
The plan offers compensation for higher diesel and fertilizer prices, two costs that weigh heavily on people who live off the land. According to the announced package, more than half of the money is meant to cover fuel spending.
On Friday, October 30, diesel averaged $6.32 per gallon, 70% above the price a year earlier. Gregg Ibendahl, a farm management specialist at Kansas State University, said the package covers fuel costs and may also help with fertilizer.
Where the money goes
The package goes beyond diesel. It includes:
- at least $5 billion in guaranteed loans for cattle ranchers and fishermen;
- $1.8 billion for landowners who took part in conservation programs;
- $573 million for fertilizer manufacturing projects;
- $57 million to expand meatpacking plants;
- $86.6 million in grants to specialty crop producers for innovative projects.
In addition, the government is preparing another $13.8 billion to cover losses on last year's harvest in crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat and rice.
A push in the rural heartland
The effort targets farm states, where Republicans traditionally have strength and now see some seats at risk. In recent weeks, Trump made official visits to Iowa and Kansas to strengthen ties with rural areas.
Short-term relief or long-term fix?
The sector is under pressure from several sides. More expensive fertilizer and fuel have cut producers' profit margins. According to the source material, last year's tariffs raised equipment costs, and the trade war with China led to a near boycott of American products.
Analysts and farmers see the aid more as immediate relief than a lasting solution. Alexandra Middlewood, a professor at Wichita State University, said she had heard mixed reactions from producers, who view the programs as one-off measures. Michael Smith, a professor at Emporia State University, said many rural voters like Trump and that the president is not on the ballot, but his policies are.
Why it matters
Midterm elections are held halfway through a presidential term and decide the makeup of the US Congress. Rural farm states have traditionally leaned Republican, so the mood of farmers carries real political weight. What comes next is the test at the ballot box: votes in farm states will show whether the package convinced producers and whether the help reaches them in time.
VDD Analysis
Direct aid shows the government is listening to producers, but people who live off the land want more than a rescue: they want low costs, predictability and open markets to sell their products. Lower taxes, less red tape and free trade sustain farmers for longer than any emergency package, and that is the debate that will weigh on the final stretch of the American elections.
