As Donald Trump’s reckless tariffs and deadly and costly war with Iran force prices on everything from gas, diesel, fertilizer, and beef to skyrocket, Trump and his Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins have offered no meaningful solutions to lower costs for American families and farmers.
This August, the price of ground beef hit $7.16 per pound, and just yesterday Rollins suggested that if beef is too expensive, “you can eat chicken, pork, salmon, eggs, there are other sources of really good protein.” On top of downplaying the high cost, she even claimed that “$6.50 for a pound of ground beef probably isn’t that bad.” Now, Trump is importing foreign beef at the expense of U.S. ranchers.
The national average price for a gallon of gas is $4.48, and the average price for a gallon of diesel is sitting at $6.53 per gallon for the first time ever. This means fuel costs for farms are up $11 per acre from last year for corn and $7 per acre for soybeans. Meanwhile, Trump’s war with Iran has sent fertilizer prices skyrocketing, squeezing farmers already struggling with high costs during the height of harvest season. Trump’s reckless trade war has already devastated American farmers, locking them out of markets completely.
Almost 95% of farmers said that Trump’s war with Iran was increasing machinery and other key costs, and 55% said federal policies over the previous year had hurt their operations. It’s no wonder 39% of farmers said they were “persuadable” in the 2026 elections.
In response, DNC Deputy Executive Director Libby Schneider released the following statement:
“Donald Trump and Republicans have proved to the American people that they couldn’t care less about them. Trump’s reckless tariffs and war with Iran have pushed working families and farmers to the brink, as costs for everything from fuel to fertilizer skyrocket, as farmers start fall harvest, and it becomes nearly impossible to make ends meet. But what is the Trump administration doing to fix their mess? Nothing — except telling Americans to suck it up. Voters will remember who turned their backs on them this November.”
