As US midterms approach, farmers decide what to plant and how to vote

When Paul McKinney, a farmer in northeast Arkansas, thinks of his son’s childhood, he remembers a small boy playing in vast fields. To a child, a flooded rice field is “like a giant, 40-acre swimming pool”, he said. Rice has been a staple on McKinney’s farm for four generations. Next year, however, the family plans to plant much less. Instead, they will focus on soya, a crop that is cheaper to produce. Like farmers across the United States , McKinney is making tough decisions this year in response to higher fuel and fertiliser costs, which have skyrocketed since the start of the war on Iran. This week, farmers also face tough choices at the polls.