A poll conducted by the American Farm Bureau Federation showed a vast majority of Americans trust farmers, understand the financial stress they are facing and support recovery aid for agriculture.
The poll showed 84 percent of the American public trusted farmers, with 50 percent saying they trusted farmers a lot and only about 1 percent saying they didn’t trust farmers at all.
Those surveyed also understood the financial pain of farmers. More than half of Americans (53 percent) said they recognized farmers would be impacted a lot by financially by COVID-19.
Additionally, 84 percent expressed support for federal assistance to farmers and 52 percent said they strongly supported the payments.
Another 59 percent of American believe agriculture should be classified as a matter of national security to protect the food supply chain.
“The results of the survey indicate a growing understanding of how important a stable food supply is to the health and well-being of our nation,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. “Shortages at grocery stores and other food supply chain shockwaves caused by the pandemic gave many people a new understanding of the crucial role of America’s farmers and ranchers and the importance of their survival through the COVID-19 economic storm. It is so heartening to know that through it all, the American people’s trust in farmers is unwavering.”