President Donald Trump paid tribute to farmers and pledged to rebuild rural America during a speech at a college in Iowa on Wednesday, June 21.
Speaking before an American flag and a red tractor, Trump said his time in Washington had helped him better understand why America’s first president George Washington said, “I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world.”
“I’m not a farmer, but I’d be very happy to be one. It’s a very beautiful world you live in,” said Trump.
But the American farmer faces challenges, he said, namely from unfair trade deals that leave them without a level playing field, working “too long and too hard” to make a living.
He pledged that by cracking down on foreign trade abuses and getting rid of “job killing regulations” that would change.
“It’s a truly noble American profession. Today we are celebrating the dignity of work and the greatness of the American farmer and the American worker,” said Trump.
He also said his administration was working to get rid of “death tax.” These estate taxes can cost cash-strapped farmers a small fortune to inherit the family farm. Many are left having to sell off large chunks of land to cover the tax.
It would be hard to do he said, but they were working on it so that farms could be passed down to children who would “run them with love.”
“American farmers pour their hearts into their crops and their love into their great communities. That is why they call this the heartland. And those maps, those electoral maps were all red, beautiful red,” Trump said to laughs and applause.
He also pledged to protect corn based ethanol and biofuels, which are mixed into conventional fuels by a federal mandate that Trump has supported and sometimes even called to be raised.
Trump, speaking at Kirkwood Community College, noted that farming has changed and vocational training in new technologies would help farmers be more productive and compete on the world stage.
Precision agriculture, drones that can collect data, and simulators that allow students to learn to operate farming equipment, were all making it possible for farmers to do more with less.
“If we continue to train our workers in these new technologies then we will usher in a new era of prosperity for American agriculture and for the American farming family,” said Trump.
In order for that to happen, and for students to have the opportunities they need, rural American would need better access to broadband technology so they could compete in the new economy, he said.
For that reason, he said, his trillion dollar infrastructure proposal to expand broadband access for rural America.
“We have to make sure American farmers and their families, wherever they may be, wherever they may go, have the infrastructure projects they need to compete and grow. And I mean grow against world competition, because that’s who you are up against now,” he said.
Trump finished his speech by affirming his pledge to rebuild rural America. His words spoke to concerns some of the people in his audience had that their way of life has been eroding for decades.
“Our farmers work ethic feeds America and their toughness and grit define America,” he said.
“Our rich and abundant soil provides more than a living, it provides a beautiful way of life for a lot of people. Today we honour and treasure this nobile history, embrace the new technology that will power this industry well into the future. With incredible leaders and students like all of you, I know that the future of American farming has never looked brighter. “
Matthew Little for Epoch Times
Matthew Little for NTD
