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Farmers for Free Trade calls on Trump admin to pull back tariffs

The executive director of Farmers for Free Trade says the Trump administration should consider pulling back on its aggressive tariff strategy.

Brian Kuehl tells Brownfield farmers depending on major markets like China.

“If we lose a market like China – our number one export market for U.S. soybeans, about 15 billion dollars per year in export sales – if we lose that market Brazil is only too happy to step in and snatch it from us,” he said. “We’ve got to jealously guard these markets and grow these markets.”

He says the U.S. ag industry can’t afford to lose critical trading partners.

“We’re the strongest ag industry in the world, but we can only stay that way if we sell our products,” Kuehl said. “Twenty percent of farm revenue comes from exports. If we’re not exporting, U.S. agriculture is going away.”

Kuehl says he was pleased to see the administration work out a trading framework in principle with the UK to help boost beef and ethanol exports.

He spoke to Brownfield at a recent tariff town hall held in Swisher, Iowa.