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Minnesota Ag Commissioner calls out Trump on trade

The Commissioner of Agriculture in Minnesota is speaking up against perceived trade wars that he says hurt farmers.

 

Dave Frederickson says with so much uncertainty on the trade front, he decided to step up to the plate on behalf of American farmers.

“A trade war is not what we need in American agriculture.”

In mid-April, Frederickson released a letter calling on the Trump Administration to protect farmers during trade negotiations.

“I remember clearly when the Carter Administration embargoed grain to Russia, and everyone was racing around saying ‘Don’t use food as a weapon.’  If (that message) was good enough 40 years ago, that whole idea should be good enough today.”

Citing the renegotiation of NAFTA and the tariff dispute with China, Frederickson says he’s not sure what President Trump’s end-game is.

“Up to this point, he’s kind of messing with the economic well-being of American agriculture given the fact that markets dropped substantially on the day he announced (tariffs on China).  yes, (the market) has come back some, but it doesn’t bounce back 100 percent.”

Frederickson is hopeful the outcome benefits farmers, but says real money is being lost in the meantime.