American farmers are the backbone of civilization, feeding the world and sustaining the global economy. Yet, their political influence remains largely untapped, overshadowed by systemic challenges and structural barriers that limit their ability to wield the power their role commands. From economic pressures to regulatory burdens, farmers face a relentless grind that stifles collective action. Historical efforts like the Farmers’ Holiday Strike of 1932, the American Agriculture Movement of the late 1970s, and Midwest milk strikes reveal both the potential and the pitfalls of farmer-led movements. Despite their essential role, organizing for change remains a daunting task, leaving their influence fragmented and their voices muted.
The Struggles of Modern Farmers
Today’s farmers navigate a gauntlet of economic and regulatory challenges. Low commodity prices, driven by global oversupply and market volatility, often fail to cover production costs. In 2023, net farm income dropped by 19% from the previous year, with corn and soybean prices falling sharply despite steady demand. High input costs exacerbate the squeeze—fertilizer prices, though down from 2022 peaks, remain 60% above 2020 levels due to energy market disruptions and supply chain issues. Seeds, equipment, and labor costs continue to climb, with inflation outpacing farm-gate prices.
Ever-changing regulations and incentive programs add another layer of complexity. The USDA’s shifting conservation programs, like the Conservation Reserve Program, often come with bureaucratic hurdles and inconsistent funding. Farmers must adapt to new compliance requirements while balancing profitability, a task likened to hitting a moving target. Tariffs, particularly those lingering from trade disputes with China and other nations, disrupt export markets. In 2024, prior to the recent trade war flare-up, U.S. agricultural exports to China were still 15% below pre-trade-war levels, forcing reliance on volatile domestic markets.
Historically, environmental regulations have been a flashpoint. In the U.S., rules under the Clean Water Act and EPA mandates on pesticide use have restricted farming practices, raising costs and limiting land use. While intended to protect ecosystems, these measures often lack input from farmers, leading to impractical standards. In Europe, similar regulations sparked massive farmer protests starting in 2022 and continuing to the present day, with Dutch and German farmers blockading highways over nitrogen emission caps and subsidy cuts. The UK has seen a similar uprising of farmers over what is dubbed “the tractor tax.” Fueled by a sense of betrayal, these uprisings showed how policy missteps can galvanize rural communities—yet no comparable movement has gained traction in the U.S.
Why Farmers Struggle to Flex Their Power
Farmers hold immense latent power: nearly all of civilization depends on their ability to produce food. Without crops, livestock, or dairy, supply chains collapse, cities starve, and economies grind to a halt. Yet, converting this leverage into political influence is fraught with obstacles. Unlike urban labor forces, farmers are geographically dispersed, culturally independent, and economically competitive. Organizing a strike or collective action faces unique hurdles.
First, farming’s competitive nature undermines solidarity. A strike risks ceding market share to rivals willing to produce for short-term gains. During price slumps, some farmers double down on production to offset losses, flooding markets and driving prices lower—a vicious cycle. Second, the diversity of agriculture—spanning crops, livestock, and regions—complicates unified demands. A dairy farmer in Wisconsin faces different realities than a wheat grower in Kansas, making consensus elusive. Third, reliance on government subsidies, which accounted for 20% of farm income in 2023, creates a disincentive to challenge the status quo. Rocking the boat could jeopardize critical support.
Political polarization further dilutes farmer influence. Rural voters lean heavily Republican, but party loyalty doesn’t translate into policy wins tailored to farmers’ needs. Both parties court agribusiness giants like Cargill or Monsanto, whose interests often diverge from those of family farms. Farmers’ advocacy groups, like the Farm Bureau, wield influence but prioritize broad agendas over radical change. The result is a fragmented voice, unable to harness the sector’s true clout.
Historical Glimpses of Farmer Power
History offers lessons in both the promise and limits of farmer-led movements. The Farmers’ Holiday Strike of 1932 emerged during the Great Depression, when collapsing grain prices and foreclosures devastated rural America. Organized by the Farmers’ Holiday Association in Iowa, farmers blocked roads, dumped milk, and withheld crops to demand price supports and debt relief. The strike disrupted markets and forced national attention, leading to New Deal programs like the Agricultural Adjustment Act. But internal divisions and government concessions soon dissolved the movement’s momentum.
In the late 1970s, the American Agriculture Movement (AAM) revived farmer activism amid a new crisis: soaring interest rates, low prices, and rising costs. In 1979, thousands of farmers drove tractors to Washington, D.C., in the “Tractorcade,” clogging the National Mall to demand higher price supports and trade protections. The protest captured headlines and secured temporary relief, but long-term gains were limited. Agribusiness consolidation accelerated, and small farms continued to vanish—by 1980, the U.S. had lost 20% of its farms compared to 1960.
Midwest milk strikes, particularly in the 1930s and 1960s, highlight dairy farmers’ attempts to control supply and boost prices. In 1933, Wisconsin dairy farmers dumped milk en masse to protest low payouts from processors. Similar actions in the 1960s, led by cooperatives, aimed to force better contracts. While these strikes raised awareness, they often failed to sustain price gains, as non-striking farmers filled supply gaps and processors exploited divisions.
These movements show farmers’ ability to disrupt—dumping milk or blockading highways sends a visceral message. Yet, their fleeting success underscores the challenge of sustaining collective action in a competitive, subsidy-dependent industry.
The Untapped Potential
Farmers’ power lies in their indispensability. In 2023, U.S. agriculture contributed $1.4 trillion to GDP and supported 21 million jobs. Globally, food security hinges on a handful of producer nations, with the U.S. leading in corn, soybeans, and beef. A coordinated halt in production could ripple through economies, forcing governments to act. Unlike tech or finance, agriculture’s output cannot be outsourced or digitized. This is raw, structural power.
Yet, it remains untapped because farmers rarely act as a unified bloc. The same independence that defines rural life—self-reliance, skepticism of collectives—hampers organizing. Modern tools, like social media, could bridge geographic divides, as seen in European protests coordinated via WhatsApp and X. But U.S. farmers lack a galvanizing spark, whether a draconian policy or a charismatic leader. Cultural aversion to “disruption” also plays a role; farmers pride themselves on feeding the world, not starving it.
To wield their power, farmers would need a new playbook: targeted, short-term actions (e.g., withholding specific crops), alliances with urban consumers over shared concerns like food prices, or leveraging co-ops to negotiate with processors. Policy demands could focus on antitrust enforcement against agribusiness monopolies, which control 80% of grain markets, or reforming subsidies to prioritize small farms. Such steps require overcoming distrust and short-term thinking—no small feat.
Conclusion
American farmers possess a latent power few industries can match. Their struggles—low prices, high costs, regulatory mazes, and trade disruptions—reveal a system stacked against them. Historical movements like the Farmers’ Holiday Strike, the American Agriculture Movement, and milk strikes show flashes of what’s possible when farmers unite, but also the limits of disjointed efforts. Civilization’s dependence on their labor is a trump card, yet competition, fragmentation, and dependence on government keep it unplayed. If farmers could organize beyond party lines, embracing strategic disruption and collective bargaining, they could reshape policy and secure their future. Until then, their power remains a sleeping giant, stirring but never fully awake.