Trade Fight Threatens Farm Belt Businesses
Many farmers, who depend on shipments overseas for one-fifth of the goods they produce, say they are anxious
Researchers at the University of Illinois and Ohio State University estimate that over four years, a 25% tariff on U.S. soybean imports by Beijing would result in an average 87% decline in income for a midsize Illinois grain farm. The loss would pressure farmland prices, they say, prompting a more than $500,000 decline in the farm’s net worth by 2021.
.. Still, many farmers say they support the Trump administration’s trade goals of modernizing Nafta, shrinking the U.S. trade deficit and combating what they see as unfair trade practices by China. They view the president’s approach as a negotiating tactic and hope it will bear fruit by fall, when farmers will harvest their crops. Some are prepared to sacrifice financially if the U.S. economy benefits in the long run.
.. administration officials have tried to reassure farmers, saying they are considering the use of Depression-era programs, which permit borrowing of as much as $30 billion from the Treasury, as well as other tools to shield farmers from trade-related losses.
.. if farm incomes are significantly squeezed, tensions could emerge between party loyalty and farmers’ wallets. “In a close enough election even a small group can matter,” Mr. Franklin said.
.. Some farmers fear trade battles will jeopardize foreign markets for U.S. agricultural products that took decades to establish.
.. Dairy farmers have been banking on sales abroad to help absorb increasing milk supplies that have pushed down prices. Tariffs imposed on U.S. cheese exports by Mexico, the largest buyer of U.S. dairy products, add insult to injury