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How Trump’s Trade War Costs Farmers

"It is a punch in the gut." President Trump's trade war with China is heating up — and farmers are paying the price.

Bracing for deeper pain from his trade fight with China

China has stopped buying U.S. farm products — a retaliation against President Trump’s plan to put new tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese goods. Now, this is costing American farmers. Trump's move is the latest escalation in an ongoing trade war, which started in July 2018. An official of China's top economic planning body had insisted that Chinese companies have purchased millions of tons of soybeans, sorghum, wheat and other farm goods since the end of June, Trump's tweets to the contrary notwithstanding.

In 2017, China bought $19.5 billion in U.S. farm products — that dropped by more than half, to $9.1 billion, in 2018 based on data from the USDA. Soybean farmers have been especially hit because China is their biggest customer — buying 60% of U.S. soybean exports in 2018 according to the U.S. Census. In May, the Trump administration announced a $16 billion aid package for farmers and Trump promised more after Beijing’s announcement. Speaking to state media, Cong Liang, secretary-general at the National Development and Reform Commission, was responding to Trump's complaint that China has reneged on its pledge to buy from U.S. farmers. Some 2.27 million tons of American soybeans were shipped to China from the end of June to the end of July, according to Cong. Another 2 million tons are to be loaded this month, he said.

Despite no trade deal, most farmer still back Trump. His overall approval rating among farmers is at 79% as of July 2019 based on a published report from the Farm Journal Pulse survey. As President Trump maps out his re-election bid, farmers in this battleground state are backing him even with the U.S. Farm Belt bracing for deeper pain from his trade fight with China. The U.S. and China are set to continue trade negotiations in September 2019.

Brut.

08/20/2019 6:00 PM
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177 comments

  • Aldo L.
    09/29/2019 20:56

    Keep voting for him they deserve it of you voted for trump don't complain

  • Javi M.
    09/28/2019 22:30

    Trump is a little MC PUTO.. lol

  • Thelma B.
    09/27/2019 09:13

    You get what you voted for! Never my President

  • Stephen S.
    09/24/2019 23:50

    The Chinese brought this trade war upon themselves. Now we finally have a president with a backbone that is taking them on. We purchase their products while they challenge us militarily. We are paying for their military! Wake up people!

  • Victor T.
    09/24/2019 18:16

    Trump wanted to get rid of farmland anyway. No more migrants, no more farms. Pay attention ppl, your boss only wants money. Modern day slavery, ask his wives.

  • Shawn J.
    09/23/2019 22:49

    These farmers are commercial farmers with 1,000’s of acres planted in various products. These are also the ones profiting the most from the selling over seas. I’m all for the farmers don’t take this wrong, I grew up on a farm and I know what it takes to make it work. But it’s not only the corn and beans. The pork, beef and produce farmers get hit hard too, here’s the problem. China has gotten away with whatever it wants to do for decades and we as a country take it in the rear and try to appease them, yes trade wars hurt however they’ll starve without our goods and if we don’t stay strong they’ll continue to walk all over us.

  • Hasan K.
    09/23/2019 22:09

    The Blind Leading the Blind 45 has no clue what The heck he is Doing Building a House and Taking care of a Country you Don't Need a scientist To figure this out

  • Daniel W.
    09/23/2019 12:17

    fake news we have everything here we need and soybean I seen them cover that up with dirt all week to plant marijuana plants over 100 acres or more in pine Island

  • Michael F.
    09/23/2019 01:51

    Remember there winning...🤣

  • Jonathan R.
    09/22/2019 12:11

    God bless president Trump 2020 landslide win maga make liberals cry everyday love it ...

  • Chev C.
    09/22/2019 06:59

    Dear farmers you have elected your president.so now you have deal with the consequences of your own decisions.

  • Roy Z.
    09/22/2019 02:03

    Shares are cheap. Buy in now.

  • Rocky C.
    09/21/2019 03:05

    You are so full of lies you only care about yourself pos

  • Steve C.
    09/21/2019 01:51

    Go Trump MAGA

  • Eric B.
    09/20/2019 01:48

    Remember who's paying for the wall?, We tax payers!.

  • Eric B.
    09/20/2019 01:47

    You voted for Trump?, This is what you get!.

  • Jose P.
    09/20/2019 01:45

    Ojala y entiendan los agricultores y nunca mas crean en mentiras

  • Charles R.
    09/19/2019 23:54

    Trump 2020

  • Zechariah L.
    09/19/2019 15:54

    Is American farmers have taken handouts and subsidies for years from our government they have taken our tax dollars now they have a problem because they're not selling their goods to China they can take a loss for a while to make America better these American farmers are so greedy they're willing to kill their neighbors just to get there crappie in still spray hazardous chemicals all over their crops and feed them to the world yeah the American farmers the hero all right I'm not talkin all farmers I'm talking most of them the ones that are in it for the money and greed and subsidies f*** them

  • Jeff K.
    09/19/2019 14:00

    Just like Mexico paying for that wall