Farm Journal Pulse

Job Approval Pulse Poll Shows Biden Has Big Hill to Climb with Ag

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 16:04:57 GMT

Respondents to the Farm Journal Pulse poll, who had shown a strong affinity to Donald Trump, now say they strongly disapprove of the job so far by President Joe Biden.

Of the 1,459 respondents, 75% said they strongly disapprove of Biden’s job so far as president. Only 9% strongly approve while 5% somewhat approve.

The Farm Journal Pulse is sent via text to approximately 5,000 farmers, ranchers and others involved in agriculture.

“We’re not focusing on anything of substance,” said farmer Casey Schumacher of Nebraska on the AgriTalk Radio Show. “We went from impeachment No. 2 to now a $1.9 trillion giveaway full of pork. It was very short-sighted to use reconciliation on this $1.9 trillion stimulus deal. If he would have went for the infrastructure, I think maybe you would have seen a turn, but it’s just going back to same old Washington, I think is people’s thoughts.”

Pro Farmer Policy Analyst Jim Wiesemeyer agreed that pushing through a stimulus bill with no expected Republican votes is driving the ag sentiment reflected in the Pulse poll.

“He campaigned on bipartisanship but it looks like they’re governing on partisanship, to be fair, and I think that’s reflected in that poll,” he said.

A year ago, 83% of Pulse respondents said they strongly approve or somewhat approve of the job performance of then President Donald Trump.

Trump Approval Sky High in Ag

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:19:34 GMT

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.”

Pulse Poll Shows Most Farmers Approve of Trump

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 03:07:00 GMT

Farmers continue to approve of President Donald Trump’s job as president, according to a new Farm Journal Pulse poll. According to the poll, conducted May 29, 80% of the producers approve of the president’s performance. That’s just 3% fewer than the last time the Farm Journal Pulse gauged presidential approval in January.

“While the 3-percentage-point drop in approval for Trump is within the margin of error, ongoing issues such as U.S.-China tensions and the potential for big corn and soybean crops and rising inventories and lower prices signal upcoming surveys will be important to monitor to see if the robust U.S. rural sector support for Trump shows any signs of more significant weakening,” says Jim Wiesemeyer, Pro Farmer policy analyst.

The text-based poll asked, “Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president?”

Of the 1,124 farmers, 60% of them strongly approve of the president and 20% somewhat approve. Eighteen percent of the producers disapprove of the president’s performance.

Trump Farmer Base Strong Heading into Election Home Stretch

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 03:42:34 GMT

By John Herath and Anna-Lisa Laca

While national polls show President Donald Trump trailing former Vice President Joe Biden in the race for the White House, the latest Farm Journal Pulse shows continuing strong support for the president in farm country.

In a head-to-head matchup between the two nominees, 82% of the more than 1,500 farmer respondents to the Farm Journal Pulse poll said they would vote for President Trump if the election were held today. Thirteen percent said they would vote for Biden, while 5% remain undecided.

A second Pulse poll was conducted shortly after Biden tapped Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. That selection had little impact on the voting choices of Pulse respondents as only 9% indicated that having Harris on the ticket would make them more likely to vote for Biden. Forty-four percent of Pulse respondents said the selection of Harris as a running mate would make them less likely to vote for the Biden ticket.

Expect Harris and Vice President Mike Pence to come out swinging in the campaign, according to Pro Farmer Policy Analyst Jim Wiesemeyer.

“You’ve already seen Vice President Mike Pence go after her record in the ag area relative to her suggestions of reduced meat consumption relative to the dietary standards and bending more on the regulatory side, so it’s already begun,” Wiesemeyer notes.

To win the election, Harris must help the ticket attract minority voters under that age of 40, according to Wiesemeyer.

“That’s going to be the key, because that’s what helped Hillary lose,” Wiesemeyer notes. “She could not get the same number and the same categories of Black voters that President Obama did.”

Harris has a long history with the agriculture industry both as a U.S. Senator and as California’s Attorney General. Known as an advocate for farm workers and immigrants, last year Harris reintroduced the Fairness for Farm Workers Act which would require overtime pay for people who work on farms. Additionally, she has co-sponsored the Agriculture Worker Program Act which provides farm workers temporary protected status and a path toward citizenship. Harris is also a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal, and in January she voted against the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

The president has enjoyed steady support in the Farm Journal Pulse Poll with his approval rating remaining in a range between 75% and 80% for the past year. At the time of publication, national polling averages by FiveThirtyEight show Biden with an 8-percentage point advantage in the Nov. 3 election.

“As former USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said on AgriTalk last Friday, the goal for Democrats is increasing the percentage of rural voters supporting Biden and other Democratic candidates enough so it makes a difference in key swing states,” Wiesemeyer says. “The next FJ Pulse poll will be important to see if Biden’s current 13% tally increases. If so, the Democratic Party’s plan could have some election-year impacts.”