Listen to a Hannity radio caller’s panicked warning about how Trump’s tariffs represent an existential threat to farmers

CALLER: I’m a third-generation farmer, and we have a silent epidemic, in my opinion, about ready to explode in this country with our agriculture. It’s projected by several magazines in the next six months, any farmer will — 75% of us will have to take out some sort of bankruptcy. All of us are in the red. It’s great we did DOGE and tariffs and that, but farmers always bear the brunt of it, but we have no farm bill in place. 

We have no anywhere for grain to get sold right now. All the contracts are canceled or on hold. We also export alfalfa. Those places are all in pause mode. All of our input costs the last two years are up 30, 40, 50%, and we’re all just about ready to throw in the towel. We don’t know what to do, and that’s why I’m calling you for somewhere to get some recognition of this is not a joke. This is really going to happen if we don’t get some help.

SEAN HANNITY (HOST): Well, my understanding is that in a lot of these trade deals that the president has made, he’s been looking out for farmers and for ranchers. For example, Australia is now going to be importing American beef for the first time since, you know, Mad Cow Disease. What was that? Back in 2003. I know that some of the agricultural products that European countries and Canada have been resistant to importing — my understanding is that they are lifting those restrictions, and that should open up markets that you never had before. Is that not happening? What are you growing?

CALLER: We grow alfalfa, barley, wheat, and corn, and that is not true. None of those have taken place at all. In fact, I read yesterday for the first time ever, Brazil will outdo the United States this year in beef production. We have a little —

HANNITY: Well, I mean —

CALLER: Here in Northern Utah, 50% of the cattle they kill are live brought in from Canada every day.

HANNITY: Yeah. Well, look, what I’m hoping for is that in the end that this is going to be a net plus for everybody. I mean, you know, the president even said that our farmers, he’s said many, many times. He has singled out farmers, for example, on the issue of illegal immigration.

He’s willing to make exceptions for workers if it’s going to hurt farmers and their ability to harvest their crops. That’s one example. And I know that the president also, as part of these trade negotiations, has made it very clear that he wants American agriculture, and American beef products and poultry products being sold into every country that we’re doing business with. It has been front and center. I mean, I’m sure you’re following it. So, I’m not sure, where does it stand for you now? Is it just not taking effect yet?

CALLER: It’s not fast enough. If we go back to COVID, we all, every year, have to borrow money against our property, and we have all gobbled up our equity to get us to this point. And we are literally all capped out. I was in our farm service agency office yesterday, seeing what programs, right now today, there is zero programs for farmers.

I haven’t had a subsidy check in over eight years, but there is not a low-interest loan program. There’s no zero-interest programs because the farm bill died. And let’s be honest, two-thirds of the farm bill is food stamps, WIC. Farmers only get one-third of the farm bill when it’s all said and done.

I wish they’d moved that money to health and human services because every article every morning said, all these farmers get all the subsidy money. I wish. We can’t. I mean, a combine now is $1,200,000 for a brand new John Deere combine, yet corn price is the same as 1978 when it cost $50,000.

HANNITY: I would argue that can’t be the case. You know what? Let me dig a little deeper into this because my understanding was that in all the trade deals, especially with Canada, I believe it was part of the Mexico negotiation as well and the European Union negotiation. You know, for years there has been restrictions. Europe has not imported American meat products, poultry products, or agricultural products. And in part, this is something that health and human services have been dealing with as well. And a lot of it had to do with issues involving pesticides, hormonal use, etcetera.

Some of it was just outright excuse making. Like, there was no excuse for Australia not to be importing our beef at all. I mean, going back to Mad Cow Disease, really? That was a long time ago. But we’re gonna look into it. Listen, I will say this, Tyler, we are lost without people like you. You feed the world, and you certainly need to make ends meet. You need to be able to buy that John Deere tractor. You need to be able to keep, you know, those fields plowed and that food growing because we’re feeding the whole world.