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Trade war compensation idea ‘kind of bizarre’

“Kind of bizarre”.

That’s how Brian Kuehl, executive director of Farmers for Free Trade, describes the idea of compensating farmers for losses they might suffer in a trade war with China.

“It’s kind of bizarre—I mean, how did we get to a place where we’re talking about abandoning markets and moving to government payments,” Kuehl says. “That’s just kind of a bizarre conversation to be having.”

President Trump says he has instructed Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue to draw up a plan to protect U.S. farmers in the event of a trade war. But Kuehl says it’s doubtful Congress would ever approve such a plan. And he’s says it’s certainly not something most farmers want to see happen.

“What I think most farmers want is markets. We want to be able to sell our beef and soybeans. We want to be able to sell to China, Japan—pick your country,” he says. “That’s much more stable than a government payment which may come this year, but may fall away next year.”

Farmers for Free Trade is a coalition of ag groups including the National Corn Growers, National Pork Producers, National Wheat Growers, the American Farm Bureau and Crop Life America.

AUDIO: Brian Kuehl