She hoped Trump would revive her farm. Now she worries his policies could bankrupt it.
After Donald Trump won the presidency again, Rebecca Carlson was counting on this being the year things turned around for her 1,300-acre farm in northern Michigan.
After Donald Trump won the presidency again, Rebecca Carlson was counting on this being the year things turned around for her 1,300-acre farm in northern Michigan.
The farm has been in her family for generations but has struggled over the past several years amid the rising cost of fuel, fertilizer and other operating expenses. Then, last year, bad weather wiped out much of her crop. But the return of Trump, she thought, would help reverse things.
“I was expecting to see a drastic turnaround for the better for my farm because the Republicans have always been for the American farmer,” said Carlson, a longtime Republican and Trump supporter.
Prices for cherries, her main crop, had increased during Trump's first term after his policies cut down on competition from overseas, and she was hoping to see a similar economic boost this time around. Instead, her farm has been caught up in the widespread government funding freezes, jeopardizing her ability to hire the workers she needs for this season's harvest. It could leave her $200,000 in debt if she's unable to access the grant money that had been awarded to her farm.
“I’ll admit to you, I bleed Republican. However, this has left a sour taste in my mouth,” Carlson said. “During Trump’s first administration, a lot of farmers — not all, but a lot of farmers — saw the positive side to his tariffs and to his agricultural dealings."
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