Trump support wavering in farm country over ethanol

Bloomberg

Even as Donald Trump tweets his support for US agriculture, farmer loyalty for the president looks like it’s starting to waver over moves that may undermine corn-based etha-nol and escalate trade disputes with countries that import American crops.
A long-anticipated White House announcement expected to lower costs for oil refiners at the expense of ethanol may show that the Environmental Protection Agency is breaking promises to protect the biofuel, according to the National Biodiesel Board. Meanwhile, trade actions also are raising concerns among farmers, said Jon Doggett, executive vice president of the National Corn Growers Association.
“There was strong support for the president,” Doggett said. “There continues to be strong support for the president. However, some of that support is wavering because of the trade issue and ethanol.”
Farmers nationwide rallied behind Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign, forming part of the rural-voter bedrock that put him in the White House. Still, administration actions including renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement and protecting
the US steel industry have shown an emphasis on Rust Belt versus Farm Belt voters, exposing potential fissures in his small-town base.
Trump tweeted his support for agriculture, saying farmers “have not been doing well for 15 years,” and vowing “massive trade deficits no longer.” The industry is one of the few sectors of the US economy that maintains a trade surplus, and while the government forecasts a 5.1 percent drop in farmer profits this year, the past decade saw several years of record incomes.