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Panel discusses Trump trade, tariffs

Are the Trump administration’s trade policies helping the agriculture sector? That’s what the nation’s farm broadcasters and journalists asked a group of leaders from U.S. commodity groups Wednesday. 

Gregg Doud from the National Milk Producers Federation, Andrew Brandt with the U.S. Grains and BioProducts Council, Joe Schuele with the U.S. Meat Export Federation, and Janna Fritz, a farmer on the U.S. Soybean Export Council were asked if the second Trump administration’s use of tariffs is working.   Brandt says some crops are impacted more than others. “In the short term, for like sorghum, their exports have collapsed in the near term. Does that mean five years from now we won’t deem this a success? I hope we do, but I would say it’s just too early to tell.”

Schuele says he was worried about retaliation after the tariffs were announced. “Retaliation has been pretty much limited to China, but those retaliatory measures, those countermeasures have been very impactful, especially for the beef industry.”

Fritz says soybean growers are concerned about lost sales to China but, “Having more countries around the globe come to the table to have open conversations to increase their utilization of U.S. soy has been a tremendous opportunity for us in the midst of these trade negotiations.”

The four leaders participated in a trade discussion during the National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention in Kansas City.