Economists on Trade Deal with China: “If exports decline, our farmers decline”

Farm groups are eager for details of the Chinese trade deal.

One organization has been talking to farmers coast to coast and tells us exports are their top concern.

“20 percent of US farm revenue comes from exports, so if our exports decline, our farmers decline, and that’s really scary. Farmers are also price takers when it comes to input. So if we’re driving up the cost of fertilizer or steel or farm chemicals, farmers get squeezed, and that’s the big concern. We don’t want to see farmers go out of business. Farmers play an important role in terms of food security, in terms of keeping our rural communities afloat,” said Brian Kuehl.

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins appeared before the House Ag Committee this week, talking about some of those concerns. During her four-plus-hour testimony, she doubled down on her commitment to remove obstacles for small farmers.

Related Stories
As farmers and ranchers navigate rising input costs, lawmakers are considering a roughly $15 billion aid package to help, which would be tied to the spending bill for the war with Iran.
Lower costs improve competitiveness, but demand remains uncertain.
Corn and soybean shipments continue to move at a steady pace as spring trade flows develop.
Herd growth and exports supporting dairy outlook.
Strong exports continue to support corn despite larger supplies.
Crush demand is supporting soybeans despite biofuel uncertainty.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Among many longstanding traditions at the FFA Convention & Expo is the National FFA Band.
Pork producers are making Veterans Day a little brighter for Iowa’s military families.
While there has been an increase in outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) this migration season, the CDC says the public health risk is low.
Cattle markets are collapsing this week, and analysts say that several factors are at play. Consumer beef prices also remain near all-time highs, threatening long-term demand.
If confirmed, early Chinese buys tighten nearby Gulf/PNW capacity and could bump basis in export-oriented regions.
Alan Bjerga, Senior Vice President of Communications with the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), shares updates and resources available to dairy producers.