Skylar Holden, a farmer who voted for Donald Trump, filmed a TikTok pleading for help saving his farm, which he is in danger of losing because of Trump.
Trump has been in office for less than a month, but many of his followers are already starting to regret giving him their vote, especially the farming community. One of his first moves in office was to attempt to freeze as much foreign and domestic federal aid as possible. Although his unlawful memo to freeze domestic federal assistance was halted, the administration has challenged the order as numerous programs across the country report their inability to access funds. Among the funds still subjected to the freeze are those appropriated by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA gives billions in funds to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to help farmers implement conservation practices. So, all of these farmers who had contracts with the NRCS were abruptly told their contracts and payments were on pause and that they are now responsible for investments they made in conservation practices that the NRCS was to reimburse them for.
Ironically, the farming community is mainly comprised of Trump voters. Now, they want help escaping the chaos they invited in by voting for Trump.
Pro-Trump farmer pleads for help saving his farm
Holden, a pro-Trump Missouri farmer who goes by @cattlemenfamilyfarms on TikTok, recently posted a video asking for help saving his farm. In a video captioned, “Please help me and many other farmers,” he revealed he was one of many farmers left scrambling by Trump’s freezes. He had a contract with the NRCS, which was supposed to support a $240,000 conservation project he undertook to improve his fencing, wells, and seedings. However, the freeze means the NRCS won’t be able to pay out what has already been completed or anything completed going forward. Holden explained, “I’ve already done a bunch of the work, already paid for the material and the labor, so I’m out all that cost.” He has already poured $80,000 into the program and will lose his farm if the NRCS can’t release the funds promised in the contract.
Holden noted that other farmers had reached out to tell him they were in the same predicament he was in. Hence, he implored social media to help reach representatives and raise awareness of the issue.
His video stirred controversy as many users pointed out that he voted for this. After all, it wasn’t as if there were no warnings. Not only was Trump threatening tariffs that would be detrimental to farmers, but Project 2025 dedicated a section outlining how it would devastate the agricultural industry by striking down protections, support, and funds for farmers. Democrats warned Americans repeatedly not to trust Trump’s feigned ignorance of Project 2025. Needless to say, it’s frustrating to have farmers expecting aid and sympathy now that they’re experiencing exactly what they were warned would happen.
Many users slammed Holden for having the audacity to ask for help and especially for not taking accountability for his mistake. He responded to criticism by excusing his actions because he had “no time to research” who/what he was voting for. He claimed he couldn’t believe what the media said about Trump, so he just relied on right-wing claims that he wouldn’t implement Project 2025. In another video, he admitted to basing his vote on a 25-question quiz he took online. At one point, he complained that his video got on TikTok’s “political side” when he just wanted to talk about the farming side, even though most Americans recognize the two are deeply intertwined. Interestingly, his reposts demonstrate he had plenty of time to watch and repost dozens of right-wing videos, including those that shared hateful views or misinformation.
While the frustration and criticism are understandable, no one should say they’re glad that Holden might lose his farm. After all, if farms can’t stay afloat, all of America will feel the impact, not just the Trump supporters.
The best response to Holden came from Will Westmoreland, who offered him advice as “an older farmer.” In his video, he noted, “I’m not even asking you to say you were wrong; I’m just asking you to admit you were lied to.” Westmoreland lays out how Holden was lied to and basically brainwashed into thinking that he couldn’t trust the media, that only right-wing influencers were trustworthy, that he couldn’t trust the government to distribute funds appropriately, and that Trump had nothing to do with Project 2025. It won’t do much for him to admit he messed up. However, if he actually learns from this experience and starts raising awareness for how Americans, especially the pro-Trump farming community, have been blatantly lied to, he could make a difference.
Published: Feb 11, 2025 05:52 pm