Men's Lifestyle May 1, 2026 0 Comments

The Shocking Truth Behind Trump’s Empty Promises to Farmers – What They’re Not Telling You!

There I was, munching on a cheeseburger at the Iowa State Fairgrounds back in 2018, soaking up the spectacle of the GOP’s state conventions — all candidates buzzing for the coveted agriculture secretary spot. Now, you might wonder, why on Earth is that an elected office? Yeah, me too. But what really threw me off was the silence on tariffs—a brutal blow from El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago’s policies rattling Iowa’s soybean farmers to their core. Not a peep from any hopefuls about that mess. Instead? A flood of anti-choice speeches. Talk about missing the forest for the trees. Iowa, producing 13% of America’s soybeans, deserves leaders who actually address the real issues, right? But just when you think an organization like the United Soybean Board—run by the farmers themselves—might offer a glimmer of hope, guess what? The Trump administration steps in and rejects women candidates picked by their peers. No explanations, no transparency—just a cold, quiet wall. So, how did an already weird political dance get even stranger? Buckle up. LEARN MORE

4 min read

One of the most remarkable afternoons I’ve spent on this beat was in 2018 on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The Republicans were holding their state conventions, and all the GOP candidates for state offices were there to give their little speeches and hope for the state party’s endorsements. One of the offices sought by several candidates was that of the state’s agriculture secretary. (Why this is an elected position is another question for another day.)

Anyway, I was whiling away the afternoon, eating a cheeseburger, as the candidates for agriculture secretary gave their speeches. At that time, El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago’s new tariff policies were kicking the hell out of the state’s soybean farmers. I figured that these candidates would have something to say about that. They didn’t. Not one word about tariffs from the people who wanted to be Iowa’s next agriculture secretary. But all of them were quick to mention their anti-choice bona fides. I made another entry in my ever-expanding mental list of why Republicans were crazy.

Soybeans are a very big deal in Iowa. The state produces 13 percent of the United States’ soybean crop. One of the main organizations working on behalf of the country’s soybean farmers is the United Soybean Board. From Reuters:

Farmer-led soybean groups in 29 states and two multi-state regions nominate candidates to serve on the board, which directs how to spend checkoff dollars, mandatory assessments on farmers collected from nearly every bushel of soybeans sold.

Is there a way this president and his administration could screw up this obscure but apparently effective operation? Of course there is.

The Trump administration rejected all four women farmers chosen by their peers to represent them in an industry group called the United Soybean Board earlier this year, a rare intervention by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that three of the women suspected was linked to their gender. From the Pentagon to the U.S. Department of Education, the Trump administration has vowed to root out policies that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, from every layer of government. Normally, soy farmers pick their representatives and the USDA signs off. This time, the USDA rejected at least five of the farmers selected for the United Soybean Board, including four women. It did not give any reason, according to three of the women.

Reuters could not determine the reason for USDA’s rejection of the five candidates for the soy board. The USDA and the United Soybean Board did not respond to detailed questions from Reuters about the rejections, saying only that the agriculture secretary selects board members from candidates put forward by state boards. The White House did not fulfill a public information request seeking any correspondence on the matter, citing a backlog of requests, and a spokesperson declined to comment, referring Reuters to the USDA.

Transparency! The Backlog ate their homework.

The eye of the He-Man Women Haters Club spares nobody.

The administration has in the past year revoked equal pay initiatives enacted by the Biden administration and rolled back programs across the federal government that aimed to correct past inequities impacting women and minority groups. The White House argues that such programs are illegal under laws against race and gender discrimination, and work against merit-based advancement.

The women who were dismissed were actual farmers nominated to the board by their peers. And none of them are fools. They know the kind of damage that the invasive species currently inhabiting the executive branch is causing.

The Trump administration rejected five of the candidates vying for United Soybean Board director seats, some of whom the board had already appointed to an executive committee and roles overseeing the organization’s $121 million budget and communications, current and former board directors said. Among 40 new and reappointed directors, none were women. Susan Watkins, a soybean farmer in Virginia whom the USDA rejected, said she was stunned by the decision. “We should be judged on our merit,” she said. “It’s very disheartening.”

Leopards. Faces.

Watkins, who had served on the board for six years, had been selected in December to serve as treasurer overseeing the board’s 2026 budget, but was now out. A conservative who said she supported Trump, Watkins scoured social media for an explanation for her dismissal. She wondered if a photo taken in 2023 of her with Glenn Youngkin, the former Republican governor of Virginia, had been the problem. Youngkin, a Trump ally, had been criticized by the president after Republicans had underperformed during the 2022 midterm elections.