Wisconsin dairy farmer Abby Swan (Photo: Screen capture via Spectrumm video)
Dairy farmer Abby Swan took to TikTok to complain that Republican policies she voted for are now destroying her business. Now her feelings are hurt because people responded by telling her it's what she voted for.
In a series of videos with her cows, Swan talked about how hard things were for her. She addressed the huge labor shortage, making it difficult to help her milk 300 cows. At the same time, seed, fertilizer and diesel fuel prices are only going up. Trucks that are hauling milk are passing fuel costs onto the farmers too as a fuel surcharge. All of it is raising the costs of milk but not the profits for dairy farmers, Spectrum News wrote last week.
“This summer, it’s just gotten really bad,” Swan said.
She confessed she recently called the suicide and crisis hotline, not because she's suicidal, but because of her stress.
“While the lady was very nice, wanted to help me, there was really nothing for her to do,” Swan complained of the hotline on her TikTok. “It would really be nice if there would be some follow-up to somebody having a mental health struggle. It’s been a rough summer."
It's not the first time there's been a dairy crisis. Seven years ago, in 2018, challenges in the international markets caused problems for U.S. dairy farmers too, a PBS News report explained.
Swan then began getting responses from people who said that she's only getting what she voted for.
Swan replied to the reactions in the comments with another TikTok rant, saying she couldn't believe how much "hate" she was getting. She defined "hate" as people asking her who she voted for.
"Well I can guarantee you from now on I would never ever vote for a Democrat, liberal, socialist, communist ever in my life if this is the way I would ever be treated by people that vote this way," Swan ranted.
She has now made her account "private."
Someone reposted the video Tuesday, digitally adding a red hat that reads "MAGA Moron."
"If you voted Republican, then you get what you voted for. I do not hate good people but anyone who allowed Republicans to harm those less fortunate. How do you feel about children being separated by Trump Military DHS. You are getting off easy," replied one Facebook commenter named Paul Grzesiak.
"I mean keep voting against your own best interest sweetie. Look where it got you," another person commented on Facebook.
"I voted Republican and Republicans are ruining my business so I'll never vote Democrat [because] you guys were mean about it," replied another person with an angry frown emoji.
"So Trump and this administration has destroyed her farm and she’s mad at Democrats for pointing it out to her?" asked Scott Henry, a content creator with 1.3 million followers on Instagram.
"Does she not understand farm subsidies ARE socialism? ... They’re really so stupid," replied Emily Brooke.
Satirical content creator "Stinkster Reborn" filmed his own reaction, pointing out her selfishness.
"She thinks she's the only one going through pain right now financially," he said. "Of course she would think that! Because she only thinks about herself. You see, she didn't vote for her business. She didn't vote for her farm. No. She voted for something else."
He then walked through policies outlined during Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign in 2024 that specifically dealt with helping milk producers like Swan.
"You voted against all that," he continued. "You know what you are? You are a roach who voted for rain. You think you're the only one going through financial hardship. How about the rest of us?"
In another video, Swan complained that she can't get workers to come work for her other than high school students. She said that she doesn't have housing for them and that people can't afford housing in the area. One man, she said, stopped by the farm and offered to work for $20 an hour and free housing.
Stinkster Reborn slapped back, "You voted for mass deportations. Where's your ICE, ICE, Baby t-shirt? ... Those same people getting deported used to help you on your farm." He then explained that these "policies were put forth by a party" and she voted against it. "You know why? Because you will always vote red."
@stinkster_reborn A Wisconsin dairy farmer says she can’t understand why people are upset about how she voted — while also saying she can’t find workers to help milk the cows and her farm is struggling. In this video, I break down the policies Harris proposed to support dairy farmers and why voting against those policies may have been a terrible business decision. You can’t support mass deportations, lose part of the agricultural workforce, watch labor costs rise, and then wonder why people who warned about it aren’t rushing to offer sympathy. Politics aside, running a farm is a business — and elections have consequences for businesses too. You voted for the policies. Now you have to live with the results. #DairyFarmers#Wisconsin#Farmers#PoliticsTikTok#FAFO♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Playing - moshimo sound design
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