Michigan's ag community reacts to Trump victory

Nov 09, 2016

Farms.com was on the ground asking Michigan farmers their thoughts on the election

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Donald Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton to become the next president of the United States is on the minds of everyone this morning, farmers included.

Especially in Michigan, a state considered up for grabs by both parties that Trump eventually won with 47.6 per cent of the vote; Barack Obama won Michigan in 2012 with 54 per cent of the vote, according to the New York Times.

Farms.com editorial director Paul Nolan and machinery contributor Rachel Gingell were on the ground in Michigan Wednesday to ask local farmers their thoughts on election outcome.

"Trump has made some very big promises," Rex Lansing, a custom applicator, told Gingell. "He told us he's going to make America great again. So now we are expecting him to follow through on that."

Trump's victory in rural areas of the U.S doesn't come as a complete shock, as a poll before the election suggested farmers were overwhelmingly backing the Republican candidate.

Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.