Day by day Midwest

DAY 13: Talking with farmers

OCT. 23, 2018  |  After waking early to a brisk Minnesota morning (25 degrees F), the crew met with several western Minnesota farmers and business people in a diner in Wahpeton, N.D.

The mostly pro-Trump crowd said they were willing to give the president a chance to push hard on tariffs to win a trade war with China, despite an unclear future for the soybeans, wheat and corn that they grow.  Prices for some crops are down 30 percent.  But these folks said they were willing to take an economic risk because they hoped a deal would be made within the next three months so that they could market the products they are harvesting and storing.

Later in the day after a long drive through the flat fields of Minnesota to the Twin Cities region of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Bruce Hawker(above) spoke by satellite to ABC Australia about what he’s learning about the United States as it heads to the midterm elections in two weeks.

A morning discussion over coffee

The sole flashing light in Breckenridge, Minn., as the sun rises.
Wahpeton is just over a river from Breckenridge.
A respectful discussion in a Wahpeton, N.D., diner.
President Trump will go down as the greatest president in history, this woman said.
This farmer was more skeptical about Trump, who he called a bully.
Hawker led a focus group of farmers and business people to learn their thoughts about the economy, the mood of the country and more.

Headed to Minneapolis

Hawker surveyed a corn field in western Minnesota.
A bridge in Minneapolis with the city’s skyline in the background.

NEXT POST:  DAY 14: Young business people in Minneapolis.

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