Australian beef has replaced U.S. supply in China since Donald Trump returned to the White House, funnelling hundreds of millions of dollars that have in previous years gone to the U.S. cattle industry into Australian pockets.
U.S. shipments to China, worth around $120 million a month, collapsed after Beijing in March allowed permits to expire at hundreds of American meat facilities and as Trump unleashed a tit-for-tat tariff war.
Other U.S. farm exports to China, the world’s biggest food importer, have also suffered since Trump retook power. On soybeans alone, U.S. farmers have lost out on shipments worth billions of dollars during the current harvest season.
i’ve never known a farmer to stay in the business long if they were dumb as shit. politically naive? sure. growing crops isn’t as simple as scattering seeds and waiting.
I agree that broadacre farming in 2025 isn’t something an idiot can do successfully.
However, these people did vote against their own interests, which isnt very bright.
Its unknowable, but I’m curious how many have actually changed their political alignment in recent months. Very few I suppose.
There as an article recently quoting a few that were kinda saying they understood the need for some short term pain, but they were trying to tough talk. Something like “we will take the hit for Trump but it better turn around in less than a year”.
As though they think Trump cares about them. He’s very happy to sacrifice them on the alter of his enormous ego.
i mean i used to belong to a cult where they believed and very quietly taught that democrats and liberals are worse than the devil. there’s reasons upon reasons someone might vote against their apparent self-interest and be behaving in a perceivably irrational manner, that’s just the first that comes to mind. the social effects of being one of two open democrats in a deep red county are far beyond unpleasant. they might value their immediate social standing (even though they never have to tell anyone how they vote) more than the business they could have had were the US tariff/trade waffling bullshit not drastically reducing the markets they have available for sales.
i guess my point is what appears to be irrational behavior to an observer usually has a rational basis if you understand the person’s motivations and preferences
Irrational reasons do not make rational decisions. They Irrationally voted against themselves. Even if they believe otherwise deep, deep in the core of their souls. Logic does not care. They actively demonize logic. Why would you try and defend them with it?
Irrational decisions are only irrational to people who misunderstand the decider’s reasoning. The things you value more, they value less. Your value assessment is by definition wrong for everyone besides yourself. People don’t vote solely based on how they expect to be affected financially, even though that’s really the only assessment you can make that doesn’t fail immediately due to the quantification problem. Since people typically vote based on unquantifiables, why do you assume that your valuation of said unquantifiables is correct for everyone?
Oh I know they have the capacity to be smart I’m saying their systemically disadvantaged preventing them from acting in their best interest in this instance