As President Trump visits Wisconsin to talk agriculture, we asked farmers for their main concerns

WILLIAMS BAY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A rainy Friday morning forced the farmers market here to move under a pavilion, and it kept some of the regular vendors away this week. However, some of the farmers who did come out shared what they'd want to tell President Donald Trump during his visit to western Wisconsin.

The White House billed President Trump's visit as one primarily focused on agriculture. At this farmers market in Walworth County, one of the primary concerns expressed was the one driving the 2026 mid-term election cycle thus far: Affordability.

Alex Ainger, a third-generation farmer on both sides of his family, bills himself as the "sheep farmer in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin."

Ainger's stand offered an array of lamb meat, as well as sheep-themed yard art, all under the banner of his business, Ewe-nique Products.

Ainger said rising fuel and food prices have a trickle-down effect on his business. His products tend to be more niche, so if people are struggling to afford the bare essentials, it's that much harder to carve out a reliable market for what he's selling.

"The economy we live in is very difficult right now," Ainger said. "An example, gas price and food price. More people are spending more on those two basic things, to where they're not buying the extras."

Ainger said he's adapting by widening the variety of products he brings to markets, including vegetables like asparagus, spinach and rhubarb. 

One table over, the issue for Hempstock Pharms is a specific federal law that's set to take effect later this year.

Last November, President Trump signed off on a wide-ranging ban on hemp products that include THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The measure was part of a broad federal spending bill.

Noel Velasquez, VP of operations for the Woodstock, Illinois farm, said the business would accept no longer being able to sell THC products, but he maintained a broader ban on hemp products that don't cause any kind of high would wreck an entire industry.

"The main thing is they are banning full-spectrum CBD," Velasquez said. "Which will definitely put us- I'm not saying out of business, but it's gonna put a big wrench in our operations."

President Trump has since indicated he believes the law would go too far. In April, he posted to his platform, Truth Social, "I am calling on Congress to update the Law to ensure that Americans can continue to access the full-spectrum CBD products they have come to rely on, and that help them, while preserving Congress's intent to restrict the sale of products that pose Health risks. We must get this done RIGHT and FAST."

So far, Congress has yet to address the forthcoming ban. Velasquez said losing the ability to produce CBD products would force the farm to undo much of what it's built over the past seven years.

"Give us regulations instead of banning the entire program," he said. "Give us some sort of regulations. We need someone to restructure the bill, reword it."

Whether it's a call to address affordability in a meaningful way or to amend specific pieces of legislation, the message at this farmers market was pretty straightforward Friday.

"They need to stop arguing," Ainger said. "And just be there for the people."