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Gackle: don’t damage our trade relationship with China

The president of the American Soybean Association told House lawmakers to do no harm to the current trade relationship between the U.S. and China.

Josh Gackle said it takes years to build good relationships and China is a top buyer of U.S. soybeans.

“In the last marketing year, the export value of U.S. soybeans totaled more than $32 billion and China accounted for nearly $19 billion of this total. For perspective, the next largest destination, by value, totaled $3 billion.”

House Ag Committee Ranking Member David Scott asked Gackle about former President Donald Trump’s campaign proposal to add a 60% tariff on Chinese goods if re-elected. The North Dakota soybean farmer said new tariffs would have negative consequences for U.S. soybeans.

“If we’re learning anything from history and from the experience we had in 2018, you could expect something similar or more detrimental when it comes to a price loss for U.S. farmers and soybean producers.”

Gackle was one of several participating in a House Agriculture Committee hearing on the Danger China Poses to U.S. Agriculture on Wednesday.