62% of Ag Sector Says US Agriculture Headed Wrong Way, Poll Finds

Sixty-two percent of farmers, ranchers and agribusiness respondents say U.S. agriculture is headed in the wrong direction, and only 10% expect to be better off financially in the next 12 months. Those are the headline numbers from Agri-Pulse Research Network's "The Political Pulse of Agriculture" survey, released as rural voters head to the polls for the midterm elections.

The national survey, powered by the Stratovation Group, ran throughout October and closed with 170 participants. The sample is small, and Agri-Pulse Founder and Publisher Sara Wyant flagged that limitation herself.

"Although this is a relatively small sample of our audience who took time to respond during a busy harvest season, it captured perspectives from all across the country and directionally, underscores how frustrated farm country is going into the midterm elections," Wyant said. "It remains to be seen how this will impact vote selection and turnout, but we did not see the high ratings for the Trump administration that we've seen in some previous surveys dating back to his first term and prior to his second term."

How did the administration score?

Respondents rated President Trump's approach to agriculture on a 1-to-10 scale, where 1 meant "extremely disapprove" and 10 meant "extremely approve." The president averaged 3.7. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins scored only slightly better at 4.7.

One policy decision drew sharp pushback. Trump's order to import more beef from South America to lower consumer beef prices struck a nerve:

• Slightly over 50% rated the decision as "very negative."
• Another 24% called it "somewhat negative."
• Only 5% rated it as "somewhat" or "very positive."

The beef import numbers matter because they signal friction within a constituency that has historically backed the administration — though the survey cannot say how that frustration translates at the ballot box.

What does the financial outlook look like?

The 12-month margin picture is bleak. Forty-five percent of respondents expect to be worse off financially, 41% expect to hold steady, and just 10% expect improvement.

Trade policy weighs heavily on that outlook. Asked to rate its impact on their operations:

• 41% said current U.S. trade policy is somewhat negative.
• Roughly a third rated it "very negative."
• Only 12% rated it very or somewhat positive, while 16% were neutral.

Combined, about three-quarters of respondents view trade policy as a net negative for their operations — a direct input-cost and basis pressure on farm margins.

Which issues top the Washington agenda?

Opinion split evenly on priorities. "Improving the farm economy & commodity prices" and "removing tariffs and trade barriers" each drew 18% as the top agricultural priority in Washington. Passing a new farm bill drew 15%, lowering input costs 14%, and addressing agricultural industry concentration 13%.

When asked for their single biggest concern about agriculture and politics in the coming year, respondents most frequently cited high input costs, low commodity prices, and high interest rates.

Who answered, and what else did they say?

The respondent base skews Midwestern: 48% from the Midwest, 21% from the West, 17% from the South, 17% from the Plains states and 5% from the Northeast. A majority — 64% — identified as farmers or ranchers, with the remainder representing ag retailers, agribusinesses and about a dozen policy experts.

California growers raised state-specific pressures: the need to invest more in specialty crops, growing olive oil imports, concentration in the Mexican avocado industry, and compliance burdens under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

Open-ended answers cut across party lines:

• "Political inability to craft and pass a new farm bill that actually meets farmers' needs with real reforms and investments into more resilience."
• "Too little practical knowledge of ag among leaders at the federal level – WH, USDA, Commerce, Congress."
• "Not enough education on what farmers are doing and lack of bipartisan cooperation and collaboration."
• "Losing majority and D's undoing all the good that has been done at USDA and this administration."
• "Trump's decisions on several levels are bad for agriculture and so much more – and I consider myself a Republican."
• "I'm afraid that the subsidies are creating an unsustainable false floor to the industry."

That last comment — fear of an unsustainable subsidy floor — sits uneasily beside the top-ranked priority of improving commodity prices, and the survey does not resolve the tension. What it does establish is that frustration with trade policy, input costs and the stalled farm bill is broad, bipartisan among respondents, and heading into the midterm elections unresolved.