At the Farm Progress Show this week, several House Agriculture Committee Republican members talked about key priorities for the next farm bill, concerns over actions taken by Environmental Protection Agency and rising input costs facing farmers.

However, one pointed comment on the importance of trade resonated most with me was made by Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill.

“Look, we’re Republicans. We’re free traders,” Davis says. But former President Donald Trump was not a free trader, he adds. “President Trump used tariffs as a hammer for negotiating. We know that. We saw that. We witnessed that. He was a protectionist.”

Davis, who has served in Congress for the last 10 years representing central Illinois, lost in his Republican primary this summer against another incumbent Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., who days before the primary received a Trump endorsement. Davis has been a champion for free trade, biofuels and now punished for having opinions that don’t necessarily align with Trump, but have always served him well in a district formerly more middle of the road on the political spectrum.

Davis recalls sitting around with farmers on his ag advisory council shortly after Trump put the tariffs on China and asking if he should write a letter opposing the tariffs. Those farmers were against the tariffs, but also supported Trump’s efforts to try to stick it to China.  

“Well, did that work? Has China lived up to its last agreement made during the Trump administration? They have not,” Davis says.

Presidential candidates often gravitate towards Iowa during their campaign runs. And can change the dialogue on what is important to rural America.

“It’s going to be up to you in agriculture, here in middle America, to start talking about the importance of free trade again, otherwise it’s going to be Republicans and Democrats that are going to be protectionists,” he says.

If that is the case, it will deter any administration away from negotiating other free trade agreements like the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement to pave the way for future improved market access for U.S. agricultural products. He says protectionists use tariffs as a forceful negotiating tactic, “which only exacerbates the ability to get our products out of the global marketplace.”

He saw during the Trump administration that middle America wanted Congressional Republicans to support the president on his trade tactics, despite it flying against farmers’ historic support of expanding trade opportunities through free trade.

“It’s up to all of you,” Davis shared with farmers. “We can do our job. We’re only able to do that when you all agree with us. And clearly I saw during the Trump administration, middle American wanted us to support what he was doing.”