When Hubert H. Humphrey said "Never answer a question from a farmer". What was he talking about?

Answer 1

When Hubert Humphrey was running for president, he was doing very well with the agricultural community. When asked about this great deal of success, he answered with...

"I never answer a question from a farmer."

Farmers make up roughly 13% of the GDP, despite of being only 2% of the population. This quote of Hubert's was a joke, with the punch line being he never said a lie or angered the farming community, hence his success on the presidential trail.

Answer 2

"Like Goldwater, Humphrey wound up his week with an appearance at North Dakota's National Plowing Contest. Like Barry, too, he avoided coming to grips with the farm problem, regaled his huge audience with slaps at the opposition instead of specific programs."

"Trying to Feel at Home", Time Magazine, Sep. 25, 1964 : http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,876154,00.html?promoid=googlep

"That same year, Humphrey was elected to the Senate with strong support from both farmers and labor, becoming a crucial bridge between the Democratic Party's conservative and liberal factions. Humphrey, a pragmatic liberal and avid cold warrior, managed to balance a host of different constituencies. As senator, he represented the farm interests of the Midwest as well as the interests of labor unions."

"Hubert H. Humphrey (1911-1978)", The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, George Washington University : http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/mep/displaydoc.cfm?docid=erpn-hhh

Answer 3

According to Wikipedia, he was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and Americans for Democratic Action.
This probably meant that once he engaged you into a discussion you could never cut yourself loose. I mean this seriously. My mother sat next to him on a cross country flight many many years ago, and he talked her ear off the entire way. She was very interested in politics (a liberal Republican), but this was too much even for her.