Menu

by Stewart Truelsen

Ronald Reagan was one of the most popular presidents ever among farmers and ranchers, despite the fact that most of the Reagan years were lean and difficult times for U.S. agriculture.

What farmers liked about President Reagan were pretty much the same things that endeared him to other Americans. He was a remarkable leader who rallied the spirit of America. He had a vision for the nation and an ability to communicate it that put him in a league with FDR and Lincoln. Reagan also never lost touch with small town America where he had grown up. Undoubtedly, he was happier riding horseback on his California ranch than riding in the presidential limousine.

Reagan was a good friend of farmers and Farm Bureau. "I’ve felt like that neighbor who has needed some assistance, and the Farm Bureau has been there with a helping hand," said Reagan in an address to the 1983 American Farm Bureau Federation annual convention in Dallas.

American agriculture boomed after the big Soviet grain purchases of the 1970s. As Reagan took office in 1981, the boom had turned to bust because of grain embargoes, falling land prices and a world recession. "I’ve seen the news stories on the farm auctions," he told the Farm Bureau convention. "As a rancher myself, I know that when a family has to give up its farm, it’s giving up a part of itself as well."

Drought that withered crops and pastures in the 1980s was beyond anyone’s control, but Reagan knew one thing he could do to help farmers – reduce government regulations. "You have to fight the weather. You have to fight insects. You have to fight all kinds of natural disasters. You shouldn’t have to fight your own government, too," Reagan told the Farm Bureau.

"From an economic standpoint, Reagan stressed three points – tax reform, less government regulations and a sound monetary policy," said American Farm Bureau economist Ross Korves. "Those things struck a very deep chord with farmers because they were seeing increased regulations. They were coming out of the late 1970s with high inflation, high interest rates, and they were concerned about taxes in the long term."

One of Reagan’s favorite stories involving farmers took place in the 1960s. He was invited to address a Farm Bureau meeting in Las Vegas. As he arrived in town, somebody recognized him and asked what he was doing there. When Reagan replied that he was speaking to Farm Bureau, the fellow asked, "What are a bunch of farmers doing in Las Vegas? Reagan responded, "Buster, they’re in a business that makes a Las Vegas crap table look like a guaranteed income." Ronald Reagan knew farmers.