A recent gathering in Nebraska, facilitated by the Trump-led administration on August 9, 2025, marked a convocation of the state’s congressional representatives. They convened on a feedlot in Saunders County, managed under the purview of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and were accompanied by Trump Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. This visit followed a weekend storm, serving as an apt metaphor for rolling clouds that agriculture sector prognosticators claim are entirely engineered by the administration itself.
The closed-press roundtable discussion held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center facilitated an intense discussion on salient topics such as tariffs and trade. Secretary Brooke Rollins found herself faced with contentious questions from the local farmers, eager to voice their anxieties towards the uncertainties that they believe the Trump administration has ushered.
Despite the rising tensions, the agricultural community did not withhold its recognition for the Trump administration’s efforts to expand trade into pivotal markets like Japan, South Korea, and Australia. It appeared that their qualms were centered on domestic issues while international trade, at least in the markets mentioned, was a silver lining, albeit one they wanted to highlight begrudgingly, in light of their other grievances.
Key figures from the state of Nebraska, including, U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, U.S. Rep. Don Bacon and Rep. Mike Flood stood shoulder to shoulder during this discussion. The notable absentee was U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, who pointed towards a scheduling conflict as the culprit of his absence.
Disturbing national figures denoted a loss of over 6% of gross domestic product for Nebraska and Iowa in Q1 2025. These precipitous declines were led by setbacks in agriculture, confirming the farmers’ darkest fears about the impacts of mismanaged policies and the gaping holes in agricultural strategies under the current administration.
Row-crop producers feel the pinch the most, reeling under depressed pricing and newly imposed tariffs. Rollins conceded that federal assistance was necessary to aid those struggling with price supports and affording fertilizer, especially after these farmers are finding themselves overextended amidst an arduous year of operations.
Secretary Rollins hinted at the importance of having some rudimentary protections for crop pricing in the delayed farm bill. This necessity became apparent amid the Trump-labeled ‘big and beautiful’ GOP tax and spending bill. Yet, it seems more like window-dressing on a troubling canvas rather than a sustainable solution, considering the farming community had been operating at a loss for years.
Interestingly, Rollins did not forget to pay the usual lip service, assuring the farmers that President Trump was well aware of their troubles. The vague promise of the administration springing into action anytime soon to offer relief was not convincing enough to the community that reels under economic hardship.
Economic stressors such as the risk of defaulting on loans has become a very real fear for many growers and bankers for which they seek help. The alarm was echoed by Rep. Mike Flood, represents an eastern Nebraska district, including the agricultural hub, Lincoln.
Contradictorily, Rep. Don Bacon of Omaha area suggested expanding the usage of biofuels into aviation fuel as a solution to help farmers, despite supporting the free trade policy that does not actually solve the ongoing tariff issue. His understanding of the core concerns impacting Nebraska’s farmers was at best incomplete and at worst, misleading.
Nebraska’s broad, rural 3rd Congressional district representative, Smith seemed more interested in defending Trump’s supposed attempts at achieving fairer deals than addressing the real distress of the agricultural community. His trust in tariffs as an effective negotiating tool may not resonate with the farmers at the receiving end of its implications.
Reps Fischer and Flood noted the importance of the federal government and USDA’s continued investment in agricultural research. Both voiced support for land-grant universities like Nebraska’s UNL. Despite appearances, they seem to ignore the critical need for immediate financial relief, focusing on long-term strategies and research.
The congressional delegation ended the day with Secretary Rollins touring a feedlot. The twilight details remain ambiguous as they visited with Derek McLean, the dean of the Agricultural Research Division at UNL’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The post Nebraska Farmers Point Fingers at Trump Administration’s Ill-Informed Policies appeared first on Real News Now.
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