- Published
Nebraska rancher Yvette Mannon was already having a rough year.
asserted
Mannon → publish → year
In April, a wildfire destroyed 1,600 grazing acres and 13 miles (21 km) of fence along the ranch she bought in 2002.
asserted
she → destroy → 2002
The ranch is nestled in a corner of Nebraska that's home to rolling green hills under sweeping Midwestern skies, the landscape dotted with grain silos and feedlots alongside fields and fields of bovines.
asserted
landscape → nestle → bovines
Mannon's 300 cattle survived the blaze - but the fencing needed to be replaced, and the herd still needed to be fed.
asserted
herd → survive → blaze
With steel prices at their highest levels in years, heavily affected by tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, that meant spending $4.89 a foot - for a total exceeding $300,000.
asserted
that → affect → 300,000
On top of that, because so much good grazing land had been destroyed, Mannon also needed a tractor out every day delivering hay to her cattle - at a time when diesel prices, spiking due to the Iran War, were up more than 40% from the previous year.
asserted
prices → destroy → War
Then in August, the Trump administration announced it would import 300,000 metric tons of duty-free foreign beef in a bid to lower consumer prices.
asserted
it → announce → prices
The news hit right before the September-November window when most US calves are weaned and sold.
asserted
calves → hit → window
The cattle market tanked immediately.
asserted
market → tank → ?
'It felt like a betrayal'
asserted
It → feel → betrayal
"So we're 'Buy American', 'Let's Make America Great'," said Mannon, 63, who voted for Trump.
asserted
who → buy → Trump
"
"It just felt like a betrayal," she said.
asserted
she → feel → betrayal
Many farmers and ranchers across the US say they are being hit from all sides.
asserted
they → say → sides
Recent years have been difficult, with drought affecting crops and already historically low cattle herds.
asserted
drought → affect → crops
But they say government policies have added to the strain.
asserted
policies → say → strain
That has left some in Nebraska, which overwhelmingly backed President Trump during the last election, reassessing their political allegiances.
asserted
which → leave → allegiances
Dan Osborn, an independent candidate running against Trump-backed Republican Pete Ricketts, is performing surprisingly well in the polls ahead of November's Senate race.
asserted
Osborn → run → race
Republicans seem keenly aware of the discord and frustration among farmers.
asserted
Republicans → seem → farmers
Both Trump and Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen have in recent weeks announced relief policies aimed at lowering fuel costs for farmers and ranchers, who say they have been struggling for months.
asserted
they → announce → months
The Iran War has sent diesel and fertiliser prices skyrocketing - both daily necessities for agricultural operations.
asserted
prices → send → operations
Tariffs have affected machinery costs and repairs, as well as steel and lumber prices.
asserted
Tariffs → affect → costs
And decisions by the Trump administration - whether it be importing foreign beef or opening up the southern border to Mexican cattle - have sent already-volatile markets into overdrive.
asserted
it → import → overdrive
Many producers are losing hundreds of dollars per head of cattle.
"All of this hit cattle markets, as a whole, negatively," said James Mitchell, an assistant professor and agricultural economist at the University of Arkansas.
asserted
Mitchell → lose → Arkansas
Cattle markets run in 10-12 year cycles, he said, with some good years and some bad.
asserted
he → run → years
The industry recently enjoyed a particularly lucrative period, where low supply and high demand drove up prices.
asserted
supply → enjoy → prices
Jake Wolfinger, 45, has been weathering the downturn at his feedlot near Lexington, Nebraska.
asserted
Wolfinger → weather → Lexington
He and his wife are both Ohio natives hailing from multi-generational farming families.
asserted
He → hail → families
They moved to Nebraska - which enjoys lush land and the most groundwater in the nation - to strike out on their own.
asserted
which → move → own
The Wolfingers bought a dilapidated feedlot in 2010, which they have turned into a sophisticated operation with 5,500 cattle.
asserted
they → buy → cattle
Neighbours point to them as an example of what hard work can still do in a tough industry.
asserted
work → point → industry
But Wolfinger did not factor the Iran War, tariffs or foreign beef imports into his planning.
asserted
Wolfinger → factor → planning
"Things were just chumming along pretty good," he said, selling cattle for $240 per hundredweight - but that's dropped to $225.
asserted
that → chum → 225
That may not seem like much, but it means a loss of potentially hundreds of dollars a head.
uncertain
it → seem → dollars
Wolfinger is also contending with sky-high diesel costs, with some equipment going through 400-gallon tanks a day.
asserted
equipment → contend → tanks
"It really makes a guy think," he said.
asserted
he → make → ?
A Trump supporter, Wolfinger said he voted for the president because "we needed his spirit in this country".
asserted
we → say → country
He also expressed frustration with what he called "woke DEI" policies on the left.
asserted
he → express → left
But he is unhappy with the way the president has intervened in the beef market.
asserted
president → intervene → market
"People need to stay the hell out of farmers' business, because it's harvest time," Wolfinger said.
asserted
Wolfinger → need → business
'People need to stay the hell out of farmers' business'
asserted
People → need → business
…and 45 more, not listed.
The Aporia
