Protestors outside the Democratic debate in Detroit. /CGTN Photo
Charlotte in the U.S. state of Michigan may be a world away from the political corridors of Washington D.C., but if any politician, including those taking part in the second Democratic TV debate, wants to know what U.S. farmers think about the issues of today, they could do worse than pay a visit.
Michigan could be described as being ground zero for the 2020 Presidential Race. As a U.S. state that solidly backed Democrats for decades, Michigan along with the likes of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania voted narrowly for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. So how can Democrat candidates here win back support? One area could be farming.
The trade dispute between the U.S. and China has seen tariffs imposed on a range of commodities. New data show U.S. soybean sales to China, the world's biggest market, slumped in the first half of the year to its lowest level in more than a decade.
Michigan farmer John Forell on his farm in Charlotte, Michigan. /CGTN Photo
Although the Trump administration recently announced a 16 billion-U.S. dollar aid package for farmers, some here, including Charlotte farmer John Forell, are calling for a long-term fix.
"Any of the leaders, don't put obstacles in our spots and don't pull things away from us. We don't want subsidies per se to live off of. We want to produce a crop that we live off of. When government officials think it is just subsidies that will keep you going, well, those are just band aids," Forell told CGTN.
Adding to the bleak picture for U.S. farmers are low commodity prices as well as bad weather during the planting season. A number of fields on Forell's farm have been left empty. And he fears many farmers could struggle.
"If you go back to the 80s where you probably lost a third of the farmers, and we are on the cusp of something like that if things don't change."
A protester attempts to get his voice heard in Detroit. /CGTN Photo
Even if an agreement can be achieved, there are concerns as to whether the various markets will still be there.
"Some of the markets we have developed across the globe, they've taken years and years to develop and to build those relationships and to be that constant and trusted supplier, and if we can't be that trusted supplier, they are going to find it somewhere else," John Kran from the National Legislative Counsel at the Michigan Farm Bureau said.
Many U.S. farmers face difficult challenges ahead. It remains to be seen if any of the politicians in the running for the 2020 Presidency are listening to their concerns.