IThere is a hint of Trumpism in the cold winter air over the vast fields on the Ostalb in Württemberg. In the gas station, people are discussing a general strike. They don't know exactly what it's supposed to achieve. What they know: that the theater in Berlin is somehow enough. In a suburb of Ellwangen, a dealer has set up a drinks tent: “Energy crisis, inflation, impoverishment. “GOVERNMENT FAILURE” can be read on it.

This week was the “Cold Market” in Ellwangen, originally a Catholic festival in honor of three horse saints. Every year people come to eat tripe, shop at the grocer's market and attend farmers' demonstrations. Today 500 tractors are blocking the road to the town hall. The farmers are using the rally to protest against subsidy cuts. Trumpist mood here too. A farmer wrote “Make Germany Great Again” on the poster of his 100,000 euro tractor, with a crossed-out traffic light underneath.

The minister is greeted with boos

Not an easy mood for Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir, who had long announced his appearance on the Ostalb. The conservative Alb farmers wouldn't weave wreaths for a green politician even in normal times, but now they greet the minister with boos. The atmosphere in front of the town hall is charged. An angry pensioner also lets out his hatred of North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst from the CDU – he is basically a Green.

For Özdemir, the appearances in front of the angry peasantry are also a political laboratory experiment, because in two years he could become prime minister. The 58-year-old politician is currently the most popular Green in the traffic light government and also the one who has faced the farmers' anger earlier and more often than any other member of the federal cabinet these days. So the question is: Can a popular and eloquent Green party calm people down somewhat when the mood in the country is brutally anti-Green, perhaps even turn the mood around a bit?

This is also interesting for the Greens because they know that they cannot win the next state election in Baden-Württemberg without the rural regions. They have written many papers about expanding their rural base, and Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann launched an “Agriculture Strategy Dialogue” to channel the conflicting goals between producers, consumers and conservationists in the “agricultural transition”.

Özdemir is attacked from two sides

Özdemir is being attacked from two sides: the farmers accuse him of campaigning for the reversal of the subsidy cuts in vehicle tax and agricultural diesel, but of being ignored by the Chancellor. He was too weak to represent farmers' interests and had to resign. Greenpeace officials consider Özdemir to be the wrong choice because he is ingratiating himself with the farmers and the CDU.

In the packed town hall of Ellwangen, around 700 farmers first listened to the country women's choir and then to the Bundestag member Roderich Kiesewetter. The CDU man helps the Green Minister, he speaks of “dear Cem” and calls for us to fight together for “sustainable agriculture” and not to find everything the government is doing wrong in these difficult times.

Özdemir enjoys the conciliatory tones in the heated hall and quotes the philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer: A prerequisite for a good conversation is that the other person can be right. As he often does, he then translates it: “You have to have a chat with the people,” he says and wishes the farmers more planning and investment security in the new year. “I didn’t think the federal government’s decisions were right,” he says.

The mood remains frosty

Nobody applauds, the mood remains frosty. Özdemir then lists what he believes he has achieved in the two years: He enforced the animal husbandry labeling law, and then, against all resistance, work began on stable renovations to improve animal welfare. As a national initiative, from February onwards there will be an indication of origin for unpackaged pork, poultry and lamb meat.