Sonny Perdue's Message To Wisconsin's Small Farmers: Too Small? Too Bad Print
News
Written by WisDems Press, Philip Shulman   
Wednesday, 02 October 2019 15:52

farm-familyTrump's Ag Secretary tells Wisconsin small dairy farmers they'll just have to get big to survive.


MADISON, WI - Yesterday, Wisconsin farmers took Trump and his administration to task over their failed agriculture policies. Their conscious dismissal of the pain small and medium-sized farms are going through, combined with Trump’s erratic trade war with China, has Wisconsin’s farmers fighting harder for their livelihoods than ever before -- and they have to be.

At the Wisconsin Dairy Expo, Sonny Perdue said if family sized farms wanted to survive they’d just have to get bigger, despite his and Trump’s push to reward Big Ag and not the small and medium-sized farms that are the backbone of Wisconsin’s economy. But this is far from the first time Purdue and Trump have insulted farmers. Just last month Perdue called farmers a bunch of whiners, while Trump went so far as to come to Wisconsin to pronounce that farmers are “over the hump.” Trump has continually tried to make people believe that he has helped the farming community, when really his broken promises have just led to more pain.

Jerry Volenec, a 5th generation Dairy Farmer, summarized how farmers are feeling in light of Purdue’s comments and the Trump administration's stance towards small farmers, saying “there’s no place for me.”

In addition, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Rural Caucus Chair Nate Timm called on Trump to “fulfill your promises -- no more talking points.”

See coverage of Wisconsin’s farmers below as well as how Wisconsin’s elected officials responded to Purdue’s comments.

MJS: Trump ag secretary Sonny Perdue says dairy farms will survive, but may have to get bigger
AP: Ag secretary: No guarantee small dairy farms will survive
WORT: Secretary Of Agriculture Says No To Dairy Market Regulations
Fox 11: Farmers respond to ag secretary's comments, say there is still a place for all size farms