- Title: PREVIEW: In pastoral Pennsylvania, many farmers hope for a Trump win
- Date: 30th October 2024
- Summary: NORTH EAST, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES (RECENT - OCTOBER 23, 2024) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) CO-OWNER OF ARROWHEAD WINE CELLARS AND MOBILIA FRUIT FARMS, NICHOLAS MOBILIA, SAYING: "You know, tractors went from like $50,000 to $100,000 in three or four years through inflation. You know, the chemicals we use, the fertilizers, the sprays we use, the harvesters went from
- Embargoed: 13th November 2024 10:58
- Keywords: 2024 campaign Arrowhead Wine Cellars Erie Farm Bill Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania Young Family Farm potato farm wine
- Location: ERIE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES
- City: ERIE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: North America,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA003478225102024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Donald Trump and running partner JD Vance may generate headlines about cats and dogs, but farmers in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania are more concerned about meat and potatoes.
There are about 250,000 farmers in Pennsylvania, according to state data. And days before the November election, farmers in western Pennsylvania say they care less about Trump's antics, and more about his agricultural policy.
"He has his own faults, but I do feel that… his track record was pro-business. And farming is a business," said Mark Troyer, the President of Troyer Farms in Erie County in the northwestern corner of the state.
A multi-faceted outlet, Troyer Farms specializes in potatoes, wheat and corn production in addition to farming chemicals. Troyer himself gets his hands dirty tilling soil.
"Everything is more expensive. Emissions standards has taken our tractors and doubled and tripled the the cost of them," he said about the struggle of inflation.
The U.S. farm economy has been in a precarious state, as the 2024 campaign has plowed on.
High production and labor costs, rising interest rates, falling commodity prices and smaller direct government supports contributed to a 20% drop in net farm incomes in 2023, according to a USDA forecast.
And so Troyer, like some of his peers, yearns for a return of Trump policies including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
The 2017 measure the former president signed cut corporate and individual tax rates and increased family tax credits, among other measures. They are set to expire at the end of 2025, and Trump said he would extend the provisions if he returns to the White House.
In questionnaires regarding farm policy, Harris has emphasized opposition to any tax increases on people making less than $400,000. The Democratic candidate has repeatedly spoken about prioritizing a strong middle class, and said in late September that she would give tax credits to U.S. manufacturers for retooling or rebuilding existing factories and expanding "good union jobs," and double the number of registered apprenticeships during her first term. Harris also promised new investments in industries like bio-manufacturing, aerospace, artificial intelligence and clean energy.
Troyer's farm is located in Erie County, which is sometimes a swing area of the swing state.
But not all residents see former president Trump in a positive light. And his stance on implementing unprecedented tariffs could invite unintended consequences.
"He [Trump] doesn't care one way or the other about who lives or dies and who's prosperous and who doesn't. And I feel that she does. And that's why I'm voting Kamala," said Lisa Gross, an Erie resident and small business owner.
Trump's supporters believe they know what they're getting, by voting to put him back in the White House.
"With the Trump candidacy, it's what you know. And with the Harris candidacy, it's what you don't know so far," said Brian Young, the owner of the Young Family Farm, which dates back to 1858.
"With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expiring, there is a lot of concern in small agriculture that going back to a $5 million exemption and possibly as low as a $3.5 million exemption under a Harris administration, might put an undue burden on some of the operations in our region and throughout Pennsylvania," he said.
(Production by: Justin Nathanson, Dan Fastenberg) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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