OMAHA (DTN) -- Both political parties and candidates are increasingly using farmers to make their cases as the country remains gridlocked over the government shutdown and the trade war with China.

The videos and livestream events highlight how farmers are caught in the middle of national political feuds while they wait for resolutions to issues largely out of their control.

On Tuesday, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) held a press event on Zoom featuring an Illinois farmer -- a former Democratic candidate for the Illinois House -- who criticized President Donald Trump's trade battles with China as hurting farmers.

"There are literally a billion bushels of soybeans that don't have a home right now," said John Bartman, who farms near Marengo, Illinois. He added, "Government bailouts do not make up for our loss of income."

Bartman will be featured in a YouTube ad campaign targeting 11 House Republicans across districts in Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin in the coming weeks.

Countering Democrats, the House Agriculture Committee's Republican social media account on X began posting videos from farmers in the field calling for the federal government to open because USDA offices are closed right now.

Nick DeVine, a farmer from southern Indiana, explained in one of the videos how the government shutdown had affected him. The White House social media team later reposted DeVine's video.

"I started farming five years ago, and to do so, I borrowed money with the FSA to buy my equipment and land and pay my rent and my input costs. To do that, they have to put their name on my checks, and since the government shutdown has been issued, I can no longer cash my grain checks as I sell it," DeVine said. "So, these soybeans that I am cutting today, I won't get paid for them even if I haul them to the grain elevator until the government is reinstated."

Other farmers in Georgia explained how they had been affected by Hurricane Helene last year.

They pressed for Georgia's two Democratic senators -- Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff -- to vote to reopen the government. Each farmer called for Congress to pass a Continuing Resolution, or "a clean CR," to reopen government offices.

"I'm just asking our elected officials to come together and vote and get this government opened back up," said Georgia farmer Clay McKinnon in one video. "And we just need you to pass the same Continuing Resolution bill because USDA is essential to our operations every day, farming and agriculture. We rely on FSA and NRCS to apply for these programs and meet our deadlines. Currently, there are several deadlines that are in place that are going to come before the government reopens and we can't apply for them, and it's income that we count on to keep our farming operation moving along."

TRUMP ON SOCIAL: RETRIBUTION OVER SOYBEAN TRADE

As he is prone to do, President Donald Trump took to his platform Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon to again challenge China and threaten retribution for not buying U.S. soybeans.

"I believe that China purposefully not buying our Soybeans, and causing difficulty for our Soybean Farmers, is an Economically Hostile Act. We are considering terminating business with China having to do with Cooking Oil, and other elements of Trade, as retribution. As an example, we can easily produce Cooking Oil ourselves, we don't need to purchase it from China."

FALLOUT FROM ARGENTINA BAILOUT

Trump hosted Argentina's President Javier Milei at the White House on Tuesday following a $20 billion currency swap crafted by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

The Argentine economic bailout prompted the country to drop its export tariffs, allowing Chinese buyers to immediately purchase more than 7 million metric tons of soybeans -- roughly 260 million bushels.

Trump agreed with a reporter's question that China's purchase of soybeans was meant to create a "wedge" between the U.S. and Argentina.

Trump said the aid "is not going to make a big difference to our country" but will help an ally. Trump also said aid to Argentina would depend on Milei's party winning a midterm election later this month.

Bartman, on the Zoom call with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., criticized how the Argentinian bailout went down.

"Trump gave $20 billion to Argentina, and they lowered their export tax. What did they do? China then immediately bought 7 million tons of soybeans," Bartman said. He added, "MAGA now means, 'Make Argentina Great Again.'"

In Nebraska, Independent U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn criticized the Argentina bailout in an op-ed published Tuesday in the Omaha World-Herald. Osborn argued Bessent's actions hurt Nebraska's potential export sales. Osborn also noted Bessent's bailout helped aid a billionaire friend of Bessent's who had invested heavily in Argentina's economy. "Now that it's in the toilet, he stands to gain big from America's bailout," Osborn wrote.

Osborn challenged Nebraska's congressional delegation for appearing "to be going along with all of this." Osborn is running against incumbent Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts.

DTN reached out to Ricketts' office seeking a campaign contact but did not receive a response.

GOV. WALZ ON DEMS AND TRADE AID

Recognizing that Trump and Republicans have far more support in rural America than Democrats, Walz called on Democrats to spend more time visiting family farms and listening to producers.

"They will overwhelmingly switch to where the best policies are, where they believe they are being served," Walz said. "They understand what the implications are."

Walz acknowledged the White House will eventually announce an aid program for farmers due to the current economic challenges, though Walz suggested the aid package won't be large enough to effectively deal with financial losses.

"This is Donald Trump -- and what he will do is put his name on a check, and he will do a big press conference and get somebody to stand with him and talk about how great he is, and it is absolutely a drop in the bucket of what we need," Walz said.

Walz also added that the mental health crisis line at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture "can't get enough people to man it because the calls on mental health and the threats that our families are in are real."

IOWA GOP RESPONDS

Jeff Kauffman, chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, pushed back on the narrative criticizing Trump and the DNC targeting three Iowa congressmen in its ad campaign.

"My family has been farming in Iowa since 1836. President Trump is standing up to unfair trade practices that have left farmers behind for decades," Kauffman said. He added, "While Democrats parade a failed Illinois liberal candidate in their political smears, everyday farmers know President Trump has our back.

"If the DNC really cared about farmers, they'd tell their own politicians to stop playing games with the government shutdown, blocking vital aid and services during harvest."

NFU URGES ACTION

Following a letter by the American Farm Bureau on Friday, the National Farmers Union on Tuesday sent its own letters to the president and Congress asking for immediate action to provide economic aid to farmers. NFU emphasized that aid should focus on family farms. Along with financial assistance, NFU also called for investigations into monopolies in the farm economy and investments to develop more domestic markets.

"Family farmers and ranchers face severe economic challenges and a deepening crisis if they do not receive immediate assistance. Recently enacted trade policies and the resulting actions by other countries have wreaked havoc on our markets, driving commodity prices far below the cost of production," said NFU President Rob Larew. "Input costs are projected to reach record levels in 2025. Stress levels are high among farmers, reflected in the rising number of farm bankruptcy filings across the country."

For more, see "Ag Economy Under Pressure: A Farmer Vents and High-Level Blame: Frustration Over Ag Economy Boiling Over in Social Media and White House" here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Also see "AFBF President: Conditions Are Becoming Too Much For Family Farms to Bear" here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @ChrisClaytonDTN

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