Texas Farming CRISIS and Why MAGA Voters are LOSSING the Farms

Añadido: 2026-06-03

[00:00:03]It's all gone.

[00:00:06]Everything is gone.

[00:00:10]>> Just read this morning that Texas farmers are closing down because they can't find laborers to work their fields.

[00:00:17]Are you telling me white people can't Sorry, excuse [clears throat] me. Won't work in the fields?

[00:00:24]Hey, all of you who thought they were taking your jobs, [music] accepting applications now.

[00:00:30]>> This is breaking news. Texas farmers are sounding the alarm on this tariff war.

[00:00:37]And in more breaking news, nobody cares.

[00:00:41]Yeah, I don't know if it's just me or uh maybe it's some of you, too, but as far as farmers sending sounding the alarm, I don't care.

[00:00:50]I I have to admit, I don't care at all because the last time Donald Trump was president, 100,000 farmers across the country lost their farms.

[00:01:02]>> [music] >> Yeah. So, overwhelmingly, farmers voted for this man again, knowing full well of his history the last time he was president. So, from me to you, farmers, I don't care.

[00:01:21]I don't care how bad things get [music] for you. I don't care if you lose your farm. I don't care if you I don't care.

[00:01:29]At least I don't care to hear about it.

[00:01:31]I really don't because this is exactly what you voted for. [music] And you're going to get what you voted for. You're going to get four more years of Donald Trump not giving a damn about farmers [music] whatsoever.

[00:01:46]So, enjoy.

[00:01:50]>> Regarding all these farmers that are now crying about possibly losing their farms because they voted for Trump, this is why you absolutely should not feel bad for any of these farmers that voted for Trump. Now, the ones that didn't vote, yes, feel sorry for them, go support them, do whatever you need to do, but the ones that voted for Trump, do not feel sorry for them, and let me tell you why. I am a builder, and I've been building [ __ ] in Oklahoma City going on like 20 years now, and farmers are not stupid. If you have the ability to manage a farm and understand the weather, the climate, your machinery, the chemistry that goes into your crops, you are not a stupid person. You're just not. And especially when you come from generational farming, you have the ability to look ahead and predict what you need to survive. And so, when you have two candidates, where you have Kamala Harris on one side giving you a whole [ __ ] list of [ __ ] that she's going to do for you and make your life better, and then you have Trump on the other side who can't even come out with a normal-sounding sentence, and you still vote for that guy, and you are a farmer?

[00:02:58]You are either racist or sexist or both.

[00:03:02]And they're only crying now because now they are being treated exactly how they voted for other people to be treated.

[00:03:13]Got that?

[00:03:15]They are being treated how they voted for other minorities, people of color, everybody else, poor people, sick people. That's how they voted for other people to be treated.

[00:03:28]And now, they're the ones being treated that way by losing their livelihood, their homes, their income, their farms.

[00:03:36]So, do not feel sorry for them. This is exactly what they had coming.

[00:03:40]>> [snorts] >> Quick follow-up as to why exactly would Trump be doing this to farmers anyways, and I'm guessing 99% chance it's because he wants to bankrupt farms so his corporate buddies can come in and do a land grab.

[00:03:55]Basically, what you have been seeing the last few years, major companies buying up a bunch of rental houses and jacking up the price of rents, and it's all going to corporations. It's probably something similar to let these farms go to foreclosure and his corporate buddies be able to come in, swoop them up, and now you've got bigger companies involved in more of our day-to-day food >> Hello everyone.

[00:04:20]I hope you're all fine. Welcome to Black White Commentary. I'm your host Brand.

[00:04:24]And in today's episode, we're going to speak about the farmers. But before we speak about farmers, you realize that when Trump took over, he said that we'll make America great again. That is all about MAGA. But it's very ironical because there's nothing great about America because farmers are really struggling and it's becoming a very big complaint among farmers making a lot of losses.

[00:04:49]But before we delve deep into that, because we need to understand why is the irony around the MAGA thing among the farmers? Because farmers are really complaining. Therefore, stay tuned as you watch the videos. Some of you might enjoy, but some may not may not enjoy the videos because there's nothing to smile about about because there's nothing great about America, especially around the farmers. Therefore, stay tuned as you watch the videos.

[00:05:15]>> I got to farm with my dad every day.

[00:05:18]It's a way of life. It's a wonderful way of life and it's at risk and it shouldn't be.

[00:05:25]>> The impact of Trump's tariffs is [music] being felt in the heartland. Soybean farmers here are now suffering economically like they haven't in decades.

[00:05:33]>> Right now, we are harvesting soybeans in Ringle, Illinois.

[00:05:37]My family has been farming since 1846.

[00:05:40]I'm the fifth generation.

[00:05:42]We're a grain operation. We grow corn, soybeans. I'm a product of the pioneers.

[00:05:49]It's history. You don't let that [music] go.

[00:05:52]One of the best memories that I had was just my dad teaching me how to drive a tractor. I got to farm with my dad every day.

[00:06:00]It was pretty cool.

[00:06:04]How many people can do that?

[00:06:05]>> [music] >> It's a way of life. It's a wonderful way of life.

[00:06:10]>> [music] >> And uh it's at risk and it shouldn't be.

[00:06:15]It's total [ __ ] >> [music] >> Human lives are at stake. It's stupid.

[00:06:19]The whole thing is stupid.

[00:06:22]>> I'm very proud of him. He's done a great job. He's kind. He's very caring. He cares about other people. I didn't really want him to be a farmer. When my husband got sick, he asked if he could take over the farm.

[00:06:38]He said, "Mom, give me 3 years. Just [music] give me 3 years." So, that's what we did and it's turned into 16 years.

[00:06:47]>> Harvest is usually the best time of the year. It's literally the fruits of your labor. This is the time where we [music] as farmers get to celebrate all of our hard work and that we get paid for our year's worth of work. And unfortunately, this one has a real bitter taste to it because the money [music] is being spent right now in Argentina and being given to billionaires. [music] Farming is hard enough as it is dealing with Mother Nature, but this year especially is [music] very challenging because of the tariffs that have been put upon us. Our cost of production has [music] increased and our markets have dropped dramatically and this is really putting a major strain on all farmers right now.

[00:07:23]If anybody who's not a farmer and they say, "Well, what do I care about what's happening with farmers? What does that matter?" Well, in Illinois, 20% of all jobs revolve around agriculture. And when farmers have money, we spend it and we spend it on really big high ticket items like combines or tractors, all of whom are made in major Rust Belt areas. And those are really high-paying, good jobs, and that trickles down to the waitresses who get better tips, to our schools because people have more income, the schools get better funded.

[00:08:01]And right now, we're just in a major holding pattern because we have no income.

[00:08:08]>> The American people are hurting right now. Farmers are hurting [music] right now. There is absolutely no reason for this.

[00:08:16]>> Our [music] grain prices are down. We have tariffs. We have a bumper crop. We don't have people to sell it to.

[00:08:25]>> [music] >> China hasn't bought one of our beans. We don't have those uh markets [music] anymore because of the tariffs.

[00:08:36]>> I'm looking at the commodity prices and where they're at, which is how I get paid, I'm having a real difficult time trying to give a positive outlook for 2026. When President Obama was in office, we had a wonderful jolt of energy because we had an administration that said, "We're going to have advanced biofuels power >> Texas, help this make sense, okay?

[00:09:00]Right now, gas is $4.19 a gallon in Texas, where I live.

[00:09:06]6 months ago, that same gallon of gas was $2.65 for an increase of 55% over the past 180 days, okay? I'm from Washington state, so I'm going to compare it to Washington.

[00:09:21]Right now, in Washington, the average price for a gallon of gas is $5.75, okay?

[00:09:28]6 months ago, the price of that gallon of gas was about $4.50, for a 35% increase over the past 180 days.

[00:09:38]Okay, so for the average 15 gallons of gas, let's just say 15 gallons of gas is filling up your car for average, that 15 gallons of gas is going to cost somebody in Texas about $63.

[00:09:52]The same 15 gallons is going to cost someone in Washington state $86, okay?

[00:09:59]So, why does Texas have a 55% increase over in Washington's 35% increase in gas over the last 180 days? That's my first question. My second question, I want to address the minimum wage. Minimum wage in Texas is $7.25.

[00:10:17]$7.25.

[00:10:19]The minimum wage in Washington state, $17.13, approximately.

[00:10:26]You know what that difference is? That's a difference of $9.88 an hour more. $9.88 an hour more, or 2.3 times higher minimum wage in Washington state, okay?

[00:10:41]So, for someone in Texas to to buy that 15 gallons of gas, it's going to cost it's going to cost them 9 hours of work, approximately. They're going to work 9 hours at that minimum wage for for for that for that gas that tank of gas.

[00:10:57]In Washington, for that same 15 gallons of gas, they're going to work 5 and 1/2 hours, okay? 9 hours, 5 and 1/2 hours, approximately. The last minimum wage increase in the in Texas was in 2009.

[00:11:12]That is 17 years ago since there has been a state in a state minimum wage increase, a cost of living increase, anything. 17 years. Meanwhile, in Washington state, in the last 17 years, they've had 17 minimum wage increases, meaning about one a year that the minimum wage goes up, and their next increase is scheduled for January of 2027.

[00:11:39]So, why in the hell, why Texas, are you guys still living in wages from 2009?

[00:11:47]$7.25 an hour in the minimum wage when prices are going up exponentially here more so than other places.

[00:11:57]Texas has the highest property tax in the United States, one of the highest at least. And my my car insurance for perfect driving is the most expensive I've ever paid. In fact, people with DUI insurance in Washington state pay less than I do for car insurance with a perfect driving record. So, I need somebody to explain this to me. Why is gas going up so much more in Texas than other places, and why in the hell is nobody in Texas voting to increase this minimum wage? $7.25, I want to know who is living on that, and what is going on to >> It's just been harder and harder and harder to find those people to work.

[00:12:39]>> Bethany Gotts owns Qualls Farm in Mountain Home, but now with fewer workers, a lot of the manual labor is left up to her. She tells me she's tried hiring locally, but it's been difficult to find people willing to do the hard work.

[00:12:53]>> Finding a legal American here that is going to work as hard as an immigrant is nearly impossible.

[00:13:00]>> She even posted job openings on Facebook.

[00:13:03]>> I had seven people contact me about it, and when I sent them the description, I had no people respond.

[00:13:09]>> She says hiring undocumented workers is not an option with serious risks for both sides.

[00:13:15]>> One, you're going to get fined. You're going to be have a unfortunately an employee living in fear they could get picked up at any any moment, and then you're without an employee.

[00:13:24]>> To keep her farm running, Gotts is hiring high-schoolers and is now looking into the federal H-2A visa program.

[00:13:31]>> I have endeavored to spend $200,000 to build a small small worker housing so that I can get H-2 workers next year.

[00:13:40]>> Gotts hopes for long-term solutions that support both farmers and workers.

[00:13:44]>> The misnomer that farmers exploit immigrants is just so sad to me because like I said, my friends and neighbors, we love our workers. They're our family and they want to work and they will work hard and there needs to be a path for these people in our country because our government has failed them and it is failing, I feel, the farmers.

[00:14:10]>> Hello, Americans who like to eat. I'm Linda and I want to talk about empty grocery shelves. They are coming and sooner than we think.

[00:14:20]There's a 3,000 per day immigrant detention quota. 40% of farm workers in the United States are undocumented. You do the math.

[00:14:29]Farms are an excellent place to find undocumented immigrants to detain and deport, depleting the workforce. And now, those who haven't been rounded up are afraid to show up.

[00:14:41]Let's look at just one state, Texas.

[00:14:44]According to farmers, this issue has been affecting their farms for a couple of weeks, but overnight, it bottomed out. On several Texas farms, nearly 100% of farm workers aren't showing up. So, what does that mean for you?

[00:14:59]Remember Trump's comment about having two dollars instead of 30?

[00:15:03]Cows are milked three times a day. No workers, no milk and some very unhappy cows.

[00:15:08]What if your grocery store instead of getting 30 gallons of milk gets two?

[00:15:14]28 families will not be able to buy milk. Now, extrapolate that among produce. Produce that instead of being harvested is rotting on the vine.

[00:15:24]Texas is one of the top 10 producers of 40 major commodities. It is the fourth largest agriculture producer in the nation and second in animal products.

[00:15:34]And it's not just cows not being milked and produce rotting on the vine. One in seven Texans works in an agriculture related job. If farms stop working, those jobs are affected.

[00:15:46]Workers not earning money aren't paying taxes and yes, undocumented workers pay taxes. Without money coming in, they will cut back on things like restaurants and small businesses, movie theaters, wherever they spend their discretionary income.

[00:16:01]Last week, Trump ordered a halt to immigration enforcement at farms. But it may already be too late to solve the current problem. The lack of workers now means farms won't hit full production this year. And if they lose planting now, there is nothing to harvest later.

[00:16:18]Yet despite Trump's assurances, a few days after his statement, the administration resumed the raids. Vance says the administration plans to continue clearing the country of undocumented immigrants. Quote, "We're enforcing everywhere. In other words, you want to voluntarily go back and come through the proper channels." Unquote.

[00:16:39]That can literally take years. And frankly, it doesn't protect you from being deported. In the meantime, the question remains.

[00:16:49]How long are you willing to go without food?

[00:16:53]Bye Americans. Have a nice day.

[00:17:01]>> You realize that from the videos, a lot of a lot of things are happening, especially around the tariffs and also the policies that have been brought by the Trump's administrations. Farmers are complaining because there's the high cost of living in the United States of America. Realize that these high tariffs and policies that have been passed by the Trump's administrations are making the cost of living go up. Farmers are not making much profits. Farmers are really struggling to make profit.

[00:17:31]Therefore, their food gets expired in the farms. They go bad in the farm.

[00:17:36]Therefore, make making a lot of losses.

[00:17:39]Therefore, farmers keep on complaining.

[00:17:41]We also realize that there is the political commentary around it. There is politics around it. You realize that farmers voted for Trump so as to make America great again. But it's very ironical because there's nothing great around farmers. Every now and then complaining. They wanted to remove the previous administration just to put the Trump's administration into into place. But you realize that one thing they voted for to ensure that they voted in this administration, but it became ironical because when they voted this for this administration realize that people were deported. A lot of immigrants were deported. And these immigrants were working in the farms.

[00:18:22]But right now, they do not have workers.

[00:18:25]They do not have cheap labor. They are used to this cheap labor. But right now, they are making a lot of losses.

[00:18:31]Therefore, there is there is no money to pay any expensive labor because the people who were deported were the ones working in in these farms. Therefore, there's nothing to smile about by this farmers. You also realize that there is war all over the world.

[00:18:49]And the also Trump's administration has been funding some of these wars. The wars around Iran instead of channeling this money towards farming, towards ensuring that that farming is working in the United States of America. Therefore, there's nothing to smile about about this Trump's administration. You also realize that >> [clears throat] >> there is land grabbing that is coming up again.

[00:19:14]Realize that from the videos, you realize that the cost of farming is very high.

[00:19:20]Lands are becoming very expensive and corporates or big companies are capable of buying these lands. Therefore, these companies go ahead and buy these lands. Also, there is the aspect of land grabbing where only rich people are able to buy these lands because farmers are not producing a lot of a lot of a lot of food. Also making a lot of losses. Therefore, the only way they have they have the only thing they have to do to sell these lands to these corporates. Therefore, also land grabbing, there is the aspect of land grabbing within these corporates that are buying these lands.

[00:19:57]One thing that we need to come to an agreement with is that Trump's administration has failed farmers a lot.

[00:20:03]Therefore, farmers need to think of a way of making profits. Also, the wages remain the same. They're not making a lot of profits. Realize that when the cost of living rises, wages sometimes remains the same because there's no bill that has been passed to ensure that these wages are increased or uh you realize that also when farmers do not have the cheap labor and the wages remain the same, they keep making a lot of losses. Therefore, we need to rethink about the next administration on how they can help farmers. Voting for this administration was about making America great again, but you realize that some of these farmers voted for this administration to punish the blacks. And you realize that maybe African Americans or uh immigrants who are who came to United States of America made these farmers get a lot of profit because they have cheap labor also. Also realize that when these farmers were voting for Trump's administration, they wanted to punish a lot of people, but that's not the what happened. Right now, America is not a great great anymore because farmers are really complain complaining a lot.

[00:21:17]Therefore, I believe that the next administration, farmers will will elect the next president wisely, the next administration wisely. Therefore, let's vote wisely and let's ensure that we do the right thing. Therefore, stay tuned for more episodes and thank you for watching. You can click the like button, subscription button, and put your comments in the comment section.

[00:21:39]Thank you.