Jess, I fear big corpo will make moves to snatch up farms in the vacuumous wake of this administration’s slashing of services, programs, research, grants, and so much more. 😔
We went through the first round of this in the 1970s-1980s thanks to Nixon’s Ag Secretary Earl Butz. He pushed get big or get out corporate farming. By 1985, Bob Dylan was on stage at Live Aid asking if perhaps American farmers could have a bit of money to save their farms.
Two months later the first Farm Aid concert. Forty years later another attack on family farms is underway..
I keep pointing out to the democrats that are saying, "I'm sittin' this out!" that none of us, regardless of who we voted for, get to "sit this out"! I don't wish this on anyone! My very conservative, Trump supporting family in little east Texas town, are slowly having their benefits and federal support withdrawn. Yes, FAFO, but, they will suffer. We will ALL suffer; we have to be here to give metaphorical hugs of "Yes, you made a grave error. Let's hug, cry it out, then pull up our shirtsleeves and get to work in STOPPING THE MADNESS!" I applaud you Jess! I love that you love all your rural folk, not just the ones that agree with you. No we can't turn everyone, but we can turn enough!
My problem with this is Trump’s first term he screwed the soy farmers they had to be bailed out and here we are now they vote for Trump again?!?! Did they suddenly amnesia and for get? Why all of a sudden did then think he was going to work for them?!?! Because his actions proved last time he didn’t care so 🤷♀️. It’s like taking two steps forward and three back and they are not going to learn unless you let them drowned. Why are they making the same mistakes over and over and over it’s old!!🙄
I hear you, sincerely. FAFO has been my saying since November. However, as the last 27 days has shown, we will all suffer. Not just the farmers, not just the poor-folk that depend on government support, everyone! I'm not a farmer, I'm not a POC, I'm not poor or even working class. But, I'm terrified to fly now. I'm super nervous I won't have medical supplies for my business with a trade war. My sister has HIV; how will she afford her medication that keeps her alive? My mom is on Medicaid; what happens when that gets cut? The list goes on and on and on. So, I'm hoping/thinking/praying that if we accept those that voted for him AND NOW SEE THE ERROR IN THEIR WAYS, then they can move to our side before the midterms! Those that don't see the error in their ways (white supremacists, sexists, Christian Nationalists, etc) - well they can kiss my ass with the rest of the MAGA-cult!
All you said, thank you! It’s not amnesia, it’s the jim jones kind of brainwashing. We, all of us, get it from all of the gov & “news”… the constant barrage of bs. It’s mind boggling. I feel so bad for everyone & so angry at the psychopaths at the top. How could you be a billionaire stealing from the masses when you could be helping? That is mental illness. His ramblings on X prove it. Sad day.
I think that the soy bean farmers raised such a big protest about that in his first term that Trump paid them billions in subsidies that was paid for by us tax payers. So perhaps they don’t think he’ll try to hurt them again. Guess again!!
Ditto, Susan. Jess, I also am from rural Missouri and my husband and I feel the same. It’s hard when you are surrounded by MAGAts to continue to speak out. Thank you for doing so!
I am from a small town in Wisconsin and it is full of Trump supporters. Maybe 20% are not. There are farms all around us and they are fast becoming a thing of the past. I think this freeze on agriculture will hurt the few that are left. He does not care that alot of the food we eat (vegetables, meat, fruit) aregrown and raised on farms across the country and this is going to hurt!! We need someone in that office who cares about the American people not just himself and his rich friends. You are awesome, you should have won the race.
My fervent wish for the current crisis is a daily rotation of folks that represent parts of the dem big tent giving a press response to the damage doge and cheetolini are inflicting. The messaging and leadership void from DC dems has been sickening!
Jess is a perfect person to respond and educate on behalf of red state dems and women specifically. I’ve sent my wish to the DNC.
There is a suggestion to do this via the creation of a ‘shadow cabinet’, where specific people get allocated a specific topic. Eg someone becomes the ‘shadow secretary of defence’ and they are expected to become really knowledgeable about this issue. So that they become the go-to person for all the networks to book whenever there’s an issue with eg defence. And the same with every issue. They’d also be leading any debates in parliament about this issue. (If my explanation doesn’t make sense, have a look how it works in the Westminster parliament)
Talking of Jasmine Crockett: she was on tv this evening (I’ve only just seen the snippet on YouTube), where she was being asked about this. It seems the idea is getting traction!
I think AOC & JC are generally doing well, being generalists. They are great in committees, it might be that this is their best role.
Maybe look to eg that lady senator, Patti Murray or Murphy - she was sharp in questioning the nominees. Or maybe include a couple of parliament members from the states, such as one of the Justins and that red haired lady called Mallory something?
It strikes me - and I am looking from the outside - that the D party has got no leadership. Eg the DNC chair - that’s not a leader in the sense of eg Kemi Badenoch or Friedrich Merz.
Or in our parliament, each opposition party has got a leader, (Anas Sarwar and a chap whose name I’ve forgotten, the one who replaced Mr DRoss) and they have a slot at the weekly ‘First Ministers Question’ session.
Yes!!!!! This is desperately needed. We need competent adults explaining to anyone who will listen (on a daily basis) the damage and stupidity (and criminality) that this administration is inflicting on the American public. When contracts get cancelled, aid gets revoked, jobs get lost, it needs to be explained VERY CLEARLY that this is all part of the "plan" by the administration (both Cheetolini and the Space Nazi).
When they cut Medicade a lot of clinics will close. Those clinics are mostly women and children clinics. Where will they go, ER, die at home? What will happen to the children? Who will supply dental coverage? Do MAGA have hearts. Most Magas have family members on Medicare. How much is too much for them. Missouri repubs have been cutting education and medical support. And our AG is wound around the axle over Starbucks hiring too many women.
That Starbucks suit is funny. I’d bet a lot of those good ole country boys see pouring coffee as women’s work. I hope Starbucks lawyers gear up pens blazing. But of course, he’s not really going after Starbucks. They want to send a message to all companies to hire more white men or risk a lawsuit. I am worried about my daughter’s future.
They don't care about women and children, they just want to control us....according to the cheeto we are only good for one thing!!! He has no respect for women...he needs to go
Medicaid supports disabled, foster care, & some nursing home people too. Group homes are usually medicaid funded. What will happen to all of those people?
I saw a stat that 36% did not vote at all. And that dump won around 31% and Harris 30.4%. So not half, not 48% of voters, but of those who voted. 36% stayed home. I think we need to address that, and the ai-tailored media tunnels polarizing and disinforming the 31% and likely the 36%…
Do y’all remember the stories a few years ago about the land grab where financial syndicates purchased large swaths of rust belt housing, subsequently selling to out of state purchasers who had been priced out of their local markets?
Blew up on everyone if I recall correctly.
Big corporate purchase of small farms might go sideways as well.
We can only hope, and pray ( I pray alot) for minimizing the sellers pain
We are being set up for further corporatization of everything. This has been the pattern in nearly all industries for decades. Aggregation and consolidation = increased in profits and power.
Thank you for continuing to enlighten and inform about the Ag and farming areas and what they (and ultimately we) are going through now. I grew up in the Midwest born and raised and moved out of high school. But my farming roots, culture, education, spiritual roots run very deep. All that I am was very influenced by my grandma in MN and the simple yet complicated values of farming life including the crops, vegetable gardens and animals for care and eventually food. I pray very hard for the Ag business now and the employees that are the heart of America. Thank you for providing that window into what is occurring in the Midwest. Praying the farmers, ranchers, future generations are able to weather these storms. Also, I hope another Farm Aide concert is in the planning eventually as our small businesses and their communities are surely facing some tough times. 🙏🏻💝
I’m a New Mexican and I did not have knowledge of Xoch Torres Small. I do now. She and you are so obviously intelligent, knowledgeable, compassionate, and well spoken. Wow, a bit of faith renewed. I had intended to skim the video but was captured by the thoughts; subsequently I listened deeply to the whole session. Thanks for the interview!
Xochitl Torres Small was an excellent US Representative who was turned out of office too soon by an unprincipled, Texas-based GOP campaign against her, but in her Deputy Secretary position at Agriculture, she was doing even more good for farmers and rural citizens across the country. (I live in a different NM Congressional District, but admired her work from here.)
Of course she and everything she was working to accomplish are now relegated to the "DEI" heap. (Why people oppose diversity, equity, and inclusion is a mystery to me.)
But I worry that the 75% who didn't vote for you, Jess, aren't exposed to any information or opinions that might penetrate their comfort zones.
As we know, when we are in our comfort zones, we aren't learning anything new, we are just enjoying a nice warm space. Nothing wrong with being there, unless you never venture outside it. Being in the Learning Zone means being okay with occasionally encountering uncomfortable ideas or facts, it means tolerating a certain amount of discomfort, and it requires at least a glimmer of self-awareness.
How are you finding effective ways to penetrate that force field in rural Missouri?
About 8 years ago my spouse and I returned to her childhood home town. Lehr North Dakota. A formerly vibrant little farm town near a sister city called Wishek. The town’s center was devoid of businesses and 90% of the homes had a sticker in the front window that had a notice that if you wanted to rent or buy the house you should call a number in Denver. My spouse was saddened by the literal evaporation of grocery, hardware, implement businesses and no gas station, although the post office was still there. Do not tell Musk about that. The destruction of rural America is real and has been accomplished with a vengeance. Where are we going?? All I know is that it is not a good place. Hedge funds are now “restructuring“ to take advantage of the new lack of regulation. They will soon own everything. And don’t forget-we will not have to ever vote again if this process goes forward.
Jess, I live in DC, with no rep or senator to call. I'm thinking I want to start "hounding" Rep. Jeffries and Sen. Schumer with the need for better outreach to rural America. I want to recommend you as a consultant. Is that ok with you?
I'm sorry but I'll have to disagree. You are one of my heroes for your wisdom and the work you do. (I can't bring myself to say she-roes; I hope that's ok!!) It's time for those Dems in the stratosphere to look where some answers are evolving from workers in the trenches. Blessings,
Please hound Schumer to stop being such a weenie. He needs to either start to lead, or get out of the way and let someone who wants to be an actual leader step up.
You're also allowed to hound Schumer yourself. I call my red senators and reps as often as I can. Sometimes I call the dems to give them a piece of my mind as well. It'll make you feel better, too!
I think this is a new kind of leadership that's needed that he's never had to quite carry out before. I don't think "street fights" come naturally to him.
This was so informative and so sad that the competence and vision of the Biden/Harris administration is going up in smoke and hurting people and our future.
Jess, I fear big corpo will make moves to snatch up farms in the vacuumous wake of this administration’s slashing of services, programs, research, grants, and so much more. 😔
That is exactly what I suspect as well
Yes! The real plot is the big $$. The billionnaires want to grab more. Is there any way to stop them?
I keep working that through in my head and watching what the Democratic leaders and courts are doing. I write and call every day.
We went through the first round of this in the 1970s-1980s thanks to Nixon’s Ag Secretary Earl Butz. He pushed get big or get out corporate farming. By 1985, Bob Dylan was on stage at Live Aid asking if perhaps American farmers could have a bit of money to save their farms.
Two months later the first Farm Aid concert. Forty years later another attack on family farms is underway..
I keep pointing out to the democrats that are saying, "I'm sittin' this out!" that none of us, regardless of who we voted for, get to "sit this out"! I don't wish this on anyone! My very conservative, Trump supporting family in little east Texas town, are slowly having their benefits and federal support withdrawn. Yes, FAFO, but, they will suffer. We will ALL suffer; we have to be here to give metaphorical hugs of "Yes, you made a grave error. Let's hug, cry it out, then pull up our shirtsleeves and get to work in STOPPING THE MADNESS!" I applaud you Jess! I love that you love all your rural folk, not just the ones that agree with you. No we can't turn everyone, but we can turn enough!
My problem with this is Trump’s first term he screwed the soy farmers they had to be bailed out and here we are now they vote for Trump again?!?! Did they suddenly amnesia and for get? Why all of a sudden did then think he was going to work for them?!?! Because his actions proved last time he didn’t care so 🤷♀️. It’s like taking two steps forward and three back and they are not going to learn unless you let them drowned. Why are they making the same mistakes over and over and over it’s old!!🙄
I hear you, sincerely. FAFO has been my saying since November. However, as the last 27 days has shown, we will all suffer. Not just the farmers, not just the poor-folk that depend on government support, everyone! I'm not a farmer, I'm not a POC, I'm not poor or even working class. But, I'm terrified to fly now. I'm super nervous I won't have medical supplies for my business with a trade war. My sister has HIV; how will she afford her medication that keeps her alive? My mom is on Medicaid; what happens when that gets cut? The list goes on and on and on. So, I'm hoping/thinking/praying that if we accept those that voted for him AND NOW SEE THE ERROR IN THEIR WAYS, then they can move to our side before the midterms! Those that don't see the error in their ways (white supremacists, sexists, Christian Nationalists, etc) - well they can kiss my ass with the rest of the MAGA-cult!
All you said, thank you! It’s not amnesia, it’s the jim jones kind of brainwashing. We, all of us, get it from all of the gov & “news”… the constant barrage of bs. It’s mind boggling. I feel so bad for everyone & so angry at the psychopaths at the top. How could you be a billionaire stealing from the masses when you could be helping? That is mental illness. His ramblings on X prove it. Sad day.
I think that the soy bean farmers raised such a big protest about that in his first term that Trump paid them billions in subsidies that was paid for by us tax payers. So perhaps they don’t think he’ll try to hurt them again. Guess again!!
Godspeed to you!
Ditto, Susan. Jess, I also am from rural Missouri and my husband and I feel the same. It’s hard when you are surrounded by MAGAts to continue to speak out. Thank you for doing so!
I am from a small town in Wisconsin and it is full of Trump supporters. Maybe 20% are not. There are farms all around us and they are fast becoming a thing of the past. I think this freeze on agriculture will hurt the few that are left. He does not care that alot of the food we eat (vegetables, meat, fruit) aregrown and raised on farms across the country and this is going to hurt!! We need someone in that office who cares about the American people not just himself and his rich friends. You are awesome, you should have won the race.
My fervent wish for the current crisis is a daily rotation of folks that represent parts of the dem big tent giving a press response to the damage doge and cheetolini are inflicting. The messaging and leadership void from DC dems has been sickening!
Jess is a perfect person to respond and educate on behalf of red state dems and women specifically. I’ve sent my wish to the DNC.
There is a suggestion to do this via the creation of a ‘shadow cabinet’, where specific people get allocated a specific topic. Eg someone becomes the ‘shadow secretary of defence’ and they are expected to become really knowledgeable about this issue. So that they become the go-to person for all the networks to book whenever there’s an issue with eg defence. And the same with every issue. They’d also be leading any debates in parliament about this issue. (If my explanation doesn’t make sense, have a look how it works in the Westminster parliament)
Makes perfect sense - I just want those experts to be great, approachable communicators like Jasmine Crockett, Pete B, and AOC.
Talking of Jasmine Crockett: she was on tv this evening (I’ve only just seen the snippet on YouTube), where she was being asked about this. It seems the idea is getting traction!
She was on ‘All in’, guest hosted by Ali Velshi
She is VERY good.
I think AOC & JC are generally doing well, being generalists. They are great in committees, it might be that this is their best role.
Maybe look to eg that lady senator, Patti Murray or Murphy - she was sharp in questioning the nominees. Or maybe include a couple of parliament members from the states, such as one of the Justins and that red haired lady called Mallory something?
It strikes me - and I am looking from the outside - that the D party has got no leadership. Eg the DNC chair - that’s not a leader in the sense of eg Kemi Badenoch or Friedrich Merz.
Or in our parliament, each opposition party has got a leader, (Anas Sarwar and a chap whose name I’ve forgotten, the one who replaced Mr DRoss) and they have a slot at the weekly ‘First Ministers Question’ session.
Yes!!!!! This is desperately needed. We need competent adults explaining to anyone who will listen (on a daily basis) the damage and stupidity (and criminality) that this administration is inflicting on the American public. When contracts get cancelled, aid gets revoked, jobs get lost, it needs to be explained VERY CLEARLY that this is all part of the "plan" by the administration (both Cheetolini and the Space Nazi).
When they cut Medicade a lot of clinics will close. Those clinics are mostly women and children clinics. Where will they go, ER, die at home? What will happen to the children? Who will supply dental coverage? Do MAGA have hearts. Most Magas have family members on Medicare. How much is too much for them. Missouri repubs have been cutting education and medical support. And our AG is wound around the axle over Starbucks hiring too many women.
That Starbucks suit is funny. I’d bet a lot of those good ole country boys see pouring coffee as women’s work. I hope Starbucks lawyers gear up pens blazing. But of course, he’s not really going after Starbucks. They want to send a message to all companies to hire more white men or risk a lawsuit. I am worried about my daughter’s future.
They don't care about women and children, they just want to control us....according to the cheeto we are only good for one thing!!! He has no respect for women...he needs to go
And all of his cronies and enablers. too
Medicaid supports disabled, foster care, & some nursing home people too. Group homes are usually medicaid funded. What will happen to all of those people?
It stings to hear “they voted for it” coming from Canadians. That’s how it feels to be a blue dot in a red state. It’s not helpful.
Also stings a blue dot in a blue state! But sadly, our friends to the North are right!
A majority of American voters chose this disaster.
No, a majority did not vote for this disaster. 48% of the country voted for Mr. Trump. The remaining 52% split their vote among several candidates.
36.6 of eligible voters did not vote.
I saw a stat that 36% did not vote at all. And that dump won around 31% and Harris 30.4%. So not half, not 48% of voters, but of those who voted. 36% stayed home. I think we need to address that, and the ai-tailored media tunnels polarizing and disinforming the 31% and likely the 36%…
A majority of American voters, whom voted, chose this disaster.
Do y’all remember the stories a few years ago about the land grab where financial syndicates purchased large swaths of rust belt housing, subsequently selling to out of state purchasers who had been priced out of their local markets?
Blew up on everyone if I recall correctly.
Big corporate purchase of small farms might go sideways as well.
We can only hope, and pray ( I pray alot) for minimizing the sellers pain
We are being set up for further corporatization of everything. This has been the pattern in nearly all industries for decades. Aggregation and consolidation = increased in profits and power.
Precisely!
Thank you for continuing to enlighten and inform about the Ag and farming areas and what they (and ultimately we) are going through now. I grew up in the Midwest born and raised and moved out of high school. But my farming roots, culture, education, spiritual roots run very deep. All that I am was very influenced by my grandma in MN and the simple yet complicated values of farming life including the crops, vegetable gardens and animals for care and eventually food. I pray very hard for the Ag business now and the employees that are the heart of America. Thank you for providing that window into what is occurring in the Midwest. Praying the farmers, ranchers, future generations are able to weather these storms. Also, I hope another Farm Aide concert is in the planning eventually as our small businesses and their communities are surely facing some tough times. 🙏🏻💝
I’m a New Mexican and I did not have knowledge of Xoch Torres Small. I do now. She and you are so obviously intelligent, knowledgeable, compassionate, and well spoken. Wow, a bit of faith renewed. I had intended to skim the video but was captured by the thoughts; subsequently I listened deeply to the whole session. Thanks for the interview!
Xochitl Torres Small was an excellent US Representative who was turned out of office too soon by an unprincipled, Texas-based GOP campaign against her, but in her Deputy Secretary position at Agriculture, she was doing even more good for farmers and rural citizens across the country. (I live in a different NM Congressional District, but admired her work from here.)
Of course she and everything she was working to accomplish are now relegated to the "DEI" heap. (Why people oppose diversity, equity, and inclusion is a mystery to me.)
But I worry that the 75% who didn't vote for you, Jess, aren't exposed to any information or opinions that might penetrate their comfort zones.
As we know, when we are in our comfort zones, we aren't learning anything new, we are just enjoying a nice warm space. Nothing wrong with being there, unless you never venture outside it. Being in the Learning Zone means being okay with occasionally encountering uncomfortable ideas or facts, it means tolerating a certain amount of discomfort, and it requires at least a glimmer of self-awareness.
How are you finding effective ways to penetrate that force field in rural Missouri?
About 8 years ago my spouse and I returned to her childhood home town. Lehr North Dakota. A formerly vibrant little farm town near a sister city called Wishek. The town’s center was devoid of businesses and 90% of the homes had a sticker in the front window that had a notice that if you wanted to rent or buy the house you should call a number in Denver. My spouse was saddened by the literal evaporation of grocery, hardware, implement businesses and no gas station, although the post office was still there. Do not tell Musk about that. The destruction of rural America is real and has been accomplished with a vengeance. Where are we going?? All I know is that it is not a good place. Hedge funds are now “restructuring“ to take advantage of the new lack of regulation. They will soon own everything. And don’t forget-we will not have to ever vote again if this process goes forward.
Thanks . I’m listening now. I read first
Same here. Great interview. Thank you.
Jess, I live in DC, with no rep or senator to call. I'm thinking I want to start "hounding" Rep. Jeffries and Sen. Schumer with the need for better outreach to rural America. I want to recommend you as a consultant. Is that ok with you?
I’m a no one from nowhere so I don’t think they would take your advice, but yes, go for it❤️
We appreciate you and your insight. Thank you.
I'm sorry but I'll have to disagree. You are one of my heroes for your wisdom and the work you do. (I can't bring myself to say she-roes; I hope that's ok!!) It's time for those Dems in the stratosphere to look where some answers are evolving from workers in the trenches. Blessings,
Please hound Schumer to stop being such a weenie. He needs to either start to lead, or get out of the way and let someone who wants to be an actual leader step up.
You're also allowed to hound Schumer yourself. I call my red senators and reps as often as I can. Sometimes I call the dems to give them a piece of my mind as well. It'll make you feel better, too!
I think this is a new kind of leadership that's needed that he's never had to quite carry out before. I don't think "street fights" come naturally to him.
This was so informative and so sad that the competence and vision of the Biden/Harris administration is going up in smoke and hurting people and our future.