Farmers Hit by a Federal Funding Freeze Scramble

@#2 ... Seven western Wisconsin Republican lawmakers did not appear at an event hosted by the Wisconsin Farmers Union ...

The actions of those Republican lawmakers seem to show they are loyal to Pres Trump, and not to the Constitution and their constituents

.

@#4

As I have noted previously, it will take a while before the effects of these Trump actions trickle down to the voters.

For example, Midwest farmers import about 80% of their fertilizer (potash) from Canada.

How might tariffs affect the price the farmers have to pay for fertilizer, and how will that extra cost show up locally in the supermarkets?

Tariff Threats and US Fertilizer Imports
farmdocdaily.illinois.edu

... Today's article examines imports of fertilizer products used to supply the main crop macronutrients of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The US relies on imports for a relatively small share of its consumption of N and P fertilizers, but is heavily reliant on imports of K fertilizers (see farmdoc daily, March 17, 2022). ...

fwiw, "K" is the chemical symbol of, you guessed it, potassium.

What is Potash?
www.cropnutrition.com

... Fertilizer potassium is sometimes called "potash," a term that comes from an early production technique where potassium was leached from wood ashes and concentrated by evaporating the leachate in large iron pots ("pot-ash"). This practice is no longer practical and is not environmentally sustainable. In food production, potassium is removed from the soil in harvested crops and must be replaced in order to maintain future crop growth. ...

@#12 ... This is what happens when your farm depends on welfare. ...

How do farmers depend upon welfare?

Wouldn't an increase in the price of fertilizer affect all farmers?

And wouldn't those farmers then pass that cost increase to those they sell their products to, eventually reaching consumers?

@#15 ... By taking government subsidies. ...

So, your current alias thinks that farm subsidies are A Bad Thing?

@#18 ... Look at Snoofy giving props to Trump! ...

Not really. More like giving an opinion that can be substantiated, and provoking discussion.

@#17 ... is another wasteful way we prop up farmers ...

How is it wasteful?

Taking a step back and looking at the larger picture...

Let's say all the ~welfare~ given to farmers is terminated.

Who will be affected?

@#30 ... There's this thing called wireless internet... I don't need cable, nor have I had cable in the last 8 -9 years. ...

Now there is that alternative.

But back when cable was called CATV (Community Antenna Television). CATV started when a rural techie put up an antenna on a tower and then provided TV reception to the few people around him.

But now we have streaming.

Things change.

www.radiohalloffame.com

...When American Marconi was sold to General Electric in 1919, Sarnoff joined the newly formed Radio Corporation of America (RCA). Here, Sarnoff advocated his plans to make radio "a household utility' in the same sense as the piano or phonograph."

That vision came true in 1926, when RCA purchased WEAF/New York and launched the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the first radio network in America. By 1930, Sarnoff had become president of RCA and NBC had split into two networks, the Red and the Blue. The Blue Network later became ABC Radio. ...

Yeah, make radio (wireless) a household utility. Dr Sarnoff was quite prescient.

There is more to his writings, but I'll leave it at that for now.

@#45 ... Streams that are coming over the same wires, in the same trenches, that were dug for cable in the 1980s... ...

Yes and no.

In my area, the ISP has been the coax on the poles with fiber optics. The result is that the coax is only local on my street. The distribution to the street is fiber.

Now, if you are talking about the backbone transit routes, say, from Boston to NYC, yeah, that' a different story.

Back in the 90's when I rode my bicycle around the area, I once came upon a construction crew. I stopped ansd asked them what they were doing.

While they did not say what company they were working for, they did tell me that they were putting into place a Boston-to-NYC fiber line.

(Aside: I have noticed that construction workers seem to be quite open when you talk with them while riding a bicycle...)

So yeah, back then there was a lot of fiber put down into the ground. I remember google being quite aggressive in that area.

@#46

Ooops.

should be...

In my area, the ISP has been replacing the coax on the poles with fiber optics.

Apologies.