logo
Farmers weigh Trump's trade war like they watch the weather, waiting to see how things go

Farmers weigh Trump's trade war like they watch the weather, waiting to see how things go

WAVERLY, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota farmer Dan Glessing isn't ready to get too upset over President Donald Trump's trade wars.
Farm country voted heavily for Trump last November. Now Glessing and many other farmers are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the Republican president's disputes with China and other international markets.
China normally would buy about one row out of every four of the Minnesota soybean crop and took in nearly $13 billion worth of soybeans from the U.S. as a whole last year. More than half of U.S. soybeans are exported internationally, with roughly half of those going to China, so it's a critical market.
Trump last month raised U.S. tariffs on products from China to 145%, and China retaliated with 125%. But Monday's announcement of a 90-day truce between the two countries backed up the reluctance of many farmers to hit the panic button.
More good news came in an updated forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday that projected higher corn exports and only slightly lower corn prices. The report also predicted somewhat lower soybean exports but higher domestic consumption, resulting in higher prices. Soybean futures surged.
After he finished planting his soybean crop on Monday, Glessing said he was excited by the news and hopes to see more progress. But he said he wasn't really surprised.
Tariffs, weather and other uncertainty
On a bright, sunny day last week, as he began planting soybeans, Glessing said tariffs were only one of the things he's worried about — and not necessarily the biggest. Farming, after all, is an enterprise built on loose soil, the whims of weather and other uncontrollable factors.
'Am I concerned about tariffs? Yeah. I mean, there's uncertainty that comes with that,' Glessing said. 'Is that the number one driving factor in these poor commodity prices the last two years? No.'
As he steered his 25-year-old Case IH tractor over a gently rolling field near the town of Waverly, he towed a planter that inserted his seeds through the stubble of last year's corn crop. As he laid down the long rows, he rumbled past a pond where wild swans paddled about.
Riding shotgun was Georgie the Corgi, who alternated between roaming around his cab and half-dozing at his feet.
Perhaps more skeptical than Glessing is Matt Griggs, one of many soybean farmers in Tennessee paying close attention to the trade war. On Monday, he said the ripple effects on farmers might still be coming.
'We're only on a 90-day pause,' Griggs said. 'Who knows what is going to come after that?'
Joe Janzen, an agricultural economist at the University of Illinois, said the commodity markets have largely shaken off the initial shock of the trade war, including Trumps' declaration of April 2 as 'Liberation Day,' when he announced stiff worldwide tariffs.
'Our markets have largely rebounded and are back where we were around April Second,' Janzen said. 'Tariffs have not had a major impact on prices yet.'
Even something that might seem like good news — ideal planting conditions across much of the Midwest — has its downside. The potential for bigger crops sent prices downward, Glessing noted. High interest rates, seed and fertilizer costs pose additional challenges.
'There's so many other factors besides just tariffs and my market price,' Glessing said.
Looking for signs of progress
But Glessing said he was encouraged by that morning's news of a trade deal with the United Kingdom, and said he hopes the current uncertainty in talks with China and other countries ultimately leads to better trade deals going forward.
Glessing had finished planting his corn the day before on the other half of a field that he rents from his father's cousin, split between 45 acres of corn and 45 acres of beans. It's at the farm where his grandfather grew up, and it's part of the approximately 700 acres he plants on average. He locked in those planting decisions months earlier as he made deals for seeds, fertilizer and other supplies.
Back on his 'home farm' closer to Waverly — where his late grandfather's house, made of local brick, still stands and a cacophony of house sparrow songs filled the air — Glessing was pleased to spot the first signs of corn he had planted there about 10 days earlier poking above the soil.
Waverly is about an hour west of Minneapolis. Its most famous resident was Democratic former Vice President Hubert Humphrey. It's in the congressional district represented by Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.
Glessing's post as president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau puts him in close touch with other influential politicians, too. He and his wife, Seena, were Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar's guests at the Capitol for Trump's inauguration in January. Glessing declined to say who he voted for.
The Glessings have three kids, milk about 75 dairy cows, and grow corn, soybeans and alfalfa on a combination of parcels they own or rent. He uses the alfalfa and corn primarily to feed his cows. He sells his soybeans to a processing plant in Mankato, where some of them become soybean meal he adds to his animal feed. The milk from his cows goes to a co-op cheese plant in Litchfield that sells internationally.
Because Glessing has local buyers locked in and doesn't directly export his crops, he's partially cushioned from the volatility of world markets. But he's quick to point out that everything in the agricultural economy is interconnected.
Lessons learned during Trump's first trade war
On his farm near Humboldt, Tennessee, roughly midway between Memphis and Nashville, Griggs weathered the 2018 trade war during Trump's first term and said he feels more prepared this time around.
'Back in 2018, prices were about the same as what they are now, and due to the trade war with China, prices dropped around 15%,' he said. 'They dropped significantly lower, and they dropped in a hurry, and due to that, we lost a lot of demand from China.'
Griggs said exports to China never fully rebounded. But he doesn't think the impact of the current dispute will be nearly as drastic.
Griggs — who raises approximately 1,600 acres of cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat — said tariffs were just one consideration as he planned out this year's crops. Growing a variety of crops helps him minimize the risk that comes with weather, volatile prices, and now the prospect of a trade war.
Griggs said he's going to be watching for opportunities to sell when market volatility causes upticks in prices.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
'The main thing I learned in 2018 was that if you do have a price period where prices have risen some, go ahead and take advantage of it instead of waiting for it to go higher,' said Griggs. 'Because when it comes to the tariffs and everything, the markets can be very unpredictable. So my lesson learned was, 'Don't hold out for a home run, be satisfied with a double.''
He said a temporary subsidy called the Market Facilitation Program helped soybean farmers withstand some of the losses last time could help if something similar is revived this year. But he said no farmer wants to make a living off government subsidies.
'We just want fair access to markets,' Griggs said. 'And a fair price for the products we produce.'
___
AP videographer Kristin M. Hall reported from Humboldt, Tennessee. AP videographer Mark Vancleave also contributed from Waverly.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Hanes: It seems the courts can only do so much to protect English institutions from overreach
Hanes: It seems the courts can only do so much to protect English institutions from overreach

Montreal Gazette

time38 minutes ago

  • Montreal Gazette

Hanes: It seems the courts can only do so much to protect English institutions from overreach

By Shock waves rippled across the globe last month when U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a ban on international students at Harvard University, part of his escalating war against America's oldest institution of higher learning. Harvard fought back and the courts granted a reprieve to 6,700 international students attending one of the world's most prestigious universities, including 700 Canadians. But it's clear Trump has it out for Harvard in particular as he seeks to remould American universities to prevent them from spreading supposedly 'woke,' leftist ideology and challenging his administration's undercutting of democracy. He has withdrawn billions in grants and research funding, arrested international students or revoked their visas, threatened universities' tax status, and interfered with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. It's a terrifying blow to academic freedom — an attack intended to weaken a powerful institution, driven by political motives and petty resentments. Closer to home, it's hard not to notice parallels with how Premier François Legault has been treating Quebec's English universities. His efforts to hobble them started well before Trump returned to office and his methods are more subtle. But some of the consequences are similar. In 2023, his government without warning announced the doubling of tuition for out-of-province students, a move disproportionately affecting McGill, Concordia and Bishop's universities. While the amount was eventually lowered to 33 per cent and Bishop's got a partial exemption, English schools were later told they had to ensure 80 per cent of their graduates attain an intermediate level of French to graduate. The government also said it would claw back a portion of international student tuition from English universities and redistribute it to francophone institutions. The stated objective of these punitive measures was to protect French. Government ministers blamed English-speaking university students from other provinces for anglicizing downtown Montreal while also lamenting they leave Quebec after they come here to study, instead of integrating and paying taxes. The fee increase seemed intended to make students from the rest of Canada feel unwelcome — and knock the English schools, McGill in particular, down a few pegs. Business leaders, most French university rectors, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, academics, student groups and an advisory committee reporting to Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry all denounced the tuition hike, warning it would hurt the economy, academia, scientific research and the vitality of the higher education ecosystem. It went ahead anyway. McGill and Concordia launched a legal challenge while their revenues, recruitment and reputations suffered. In April, Quebec Superior Court overturned the tuition fee increase and the onerous French requirements for out-of-province students, calling them 'unreasonable.' This week, Déry's office announced the Quebec government won't appeal the judgment that used words like 'unfounded,' 'fuzzy,' 'erroneous' and 'incoherence' to describe the factual basis (or lack thereof) justifying the manoeuvres. Yet instead of emerging chastened, the Legault government has been emboldened. Déry's office confirmed she intends to double down on the tuition increase while also emphasizing that Quebec is under no obligation to guarantee students from outside the province access to its universities. Time will tell what the latter chilling statement really means. But in the current context, it sounds ominous for McGill and Concordia. What looked like a partial win may end up amounting to pyrrhic victory. Or maybe more like Groundhog Day. The Legault government may simply plan to go back to the drawing board to figure out how to do what it intended in the first place, this time in a way that passes legal muster. It's making a generous interpretation of the judgment — taking it as constructive criticism rather than a stern rebuke. Quebec Superior Court Justice Éric Dufour struck down the tuition hike and French requirements, but he mainly found fault with 'poverty of evidence' and contradictory arguments for failing the test of 'reasonableness.' 'It's true that discretionary power warrants a lot of room to manoeuvre and that the court must grant the minister all the latitude to act. Restraint is required when it comes to decisions based on political choices,' Dufour wrote. 'But as important as discretion is, the minister must nevertheless demonstrate that it's being exercised in a reasonable manner, that's to say in this instance, with respect to existent and founded facts.' It's a ruling largely based on administrative principles. The judge steered clear of bigger questions pertaining to rights that were raised in the case because the technical flaws made them moot to the ultimate outcome. These include McGill's argument that the tuition hike for students from other provinces violated its equality rights on the basis of language. Since the judge left these matters unanswered, perhaps this will give the universities recourse in the future. Because the fight seems destined to continue with a government that has a track record of trying to diminish English institutions, be they school boards, colleges, hospitals or universities. The battle may even ramp up if the government looks to meddle in the composition of the student bodies. All Quebec universities are reeling from a drop in enrolment from international students because of changes to both federal and provincial policy. Their higher tuition helps make up for government underfunding and is essential to conducting scientific research. The crackdown on international students may be part of a Canada-wide plan to rein in the surging number of temporary immigrants, which has contributed to the housing crisis. But in Quebec, it's also part of a broader effort to reduce immigration for the purposes of protecting the French language and culture. Legault has made it no secret that he considers anglophone students from the rest of Canada a threat to French, too. The use of the word 'access' by Déry's office with regards to students from other provinces suggests a toughening of Quebec's stand and a sharpening of previous complaints about Quebecers having to 'subsidize' the education of young people from the rest of Canada. This portends ill for McGill and Concordia's efforts to attract the best and the brightest, since many of their students come from elsewhere in the country. It appears the courts can only do so much to protect English institutions from political leaders who read encouragement into rulings that should leave them embarrassed, and who have no qualms about trampling constitutional rights to achieve their aims, invoking the notwithstanding clause to shield laws that otherwise would be struck down. It gives new meaning to the slogan on the novelty T-shirts often sold near the Roddick Gates during frosh week: 'Harvard: America's McGill.'

With retail cyberattacks on the rise, customers find orders blocked and shelves empty
With retail cyberattacks on the rise, customers find orders blocked and shelves empty

Toronto Star

timean hour ago

  • Toronto Star

With retail cyberattacks on the rise, customers find orders blocked and shelves empty

NEW YORK (AP) — A string of recent cyberattacks and data breaches involving the systems of major retailers have started affecting shoppers. United Natural Foods, a wholesale distributor that supplies Whole Foods and other grocers, said this week that a breach of its systems was disrupting its ability to fulfill orders — leaving many stores without certain items. In the U.K., consumers could not order from the website of Marks & Spencer for more than six weeks — and found fewer in-store options after hackers targeted the British clothing, home goods and food retailer. A cyberattack on Co-op, a U.K. grocery chain, also led to empty shelves in some stores. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Cyberattacks have been on the rise across industries. But infiltrations of corporate technology carry their own set of implications when the target is a consumer-facing business. Beyond potentially halting sales of physical goods, breaches can expose customers' personal data to future phishing or fraud attempts. Here's what you need to know. Cyberattacks are on the rise overall Despite ongoing efforts from organizations to boost their cybersecurity defenses, experts note that cyberattacks continue to increase across the board. In the past year, there's also been an 'uptick in the retail victims' of such attacks, said Cliff Steinhauer, director of information security and engagement at the National Cybersecurity Alliance, a U.S. nonprofit. 'Cyber criminals are moving a little quicker than we are in terms of securing our systems,' he said. Ransomware attacks — in which hackers demand a hefty payment to restore hacked systems — account for a growing share of cyber crimes, experts note. And of course, retail isn't the only affected sector. Tracking by NCC Group, a global cybersecurity and software escrow firm, showed that industrial businesses were most often targeted for ransomware attacks in April, followed by companies in the 'consumer discretionary' sector. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Attackers know there's a particular impact when going after well-known brands and products that shoppers buy or need every day, experts note. 'Creating that chaos and that panic with consumers puts pressure on the retailer,' Steinhauer said, especially if there's a ransom demand involved. Ade Clewlow, an associate director and senior adviser at the NCC Group, points specifically to food supply chain disruptions. Following the cyberattacks targeting M&S and Co-op, for example, supermarkets in remote areas of the U.K., where inventory already was strained, saw product shortages. 'People were literally going without the basics,' Clewlow said. Personal data is also at risk Along with impacting business operations, cyber breaches may compromise customer data. The information can range from names and email addresses, to more sensitive data like credit card numbers, depending on the scope of the breach. Consumers therefore need to stay alert, according to experts. 'If (consumers have) given their personal information to these retailers, then they just have to be on their guard. Not just immediately, but really going forward,' Clewlow said, noting that recipients of the data may try to commit fraud 'downstream.' Fraudsters might send look-alike emails asking a retailer's account holders to change their passwords or promising fake promotions to get customers to click on a sketchy link. A good rule of thumb is to pause before opening anything and to visit the company's recognized website or call an official customer service hotline to verify the email, experts say. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW It's also best not to reuse the same passwords across multiple websites — because if one platform is breached, that login information could be used to get into other accounts, through a tactic known as 'credential stuffing.' Steinhauer adds that using multifactor authentication, when available, and freezing your credit are also useful for added lines of defense. Which companies have reported recent cybersecurity incidents? A range of consumer-facing companies have reported cybersecurity incidents recently — including breaches that have caused some businesses to halt operations. United Natural Foods, a major distributor for Whole Foods and other grocers across North America, took some of its systems offline after discovering 'unauthorized activity' on June 5. In a securities filing, the company said the incident had impacted its 'ability to fulfill and distribute customer orders.' United Natural Foods said in a Wednesday update that it was 'working steadily' to gradually restore the services. Still, that's meant leaner supplies of certain items this week. A Whole Foods spokesperson told The Associated Press via email that it was working to restock shelves as soon as possible. The Amazon-owned grocer's partnership with United Natural Foods currently runs through May 2032. Meanwhile, a security breach detected by Victoria's Secret last month led the popular lingerie seller to shut down its U.S. shopping site for nearly four days, as well as to halt some in-store services. Victoria's Secret later disclosed that its corporate systems also were affected, too, causing the company to delay the release of its first quarter earnings. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Several British retailers — M&S, Harrods and Co-op — have all pointed to impacts of recent cyberattacks. The attack targeting M&S, which was first reported around Easter weekend, stopped it from processing online orders and also emptied some store shelves. The company estimated last month that the it would incur costs of 300 million pounds ($400 million) from the attack. But progress towards recovery was shared Tuesday, when M&S announced that some of its online order operations were back — with more set to be added in the coming weeks. Other breaches exposed customer data, with brands like Adidas, The North Face and reportedly Cartier all disclosing that some contact information was compromised recently. In a statement, The North Face said it discovered a 'small-scale credential stuffing attack' on its website in April. The company reported that no credit card data was compromised and said the incident, which impacted 1,500 consumers, was 'quickly contained.' Meanwhile, Adidas disclosed last month that an 'unauthorized external party' obtained some data, which was mostly contact information, through a third-party customer service provider. Whether or not the incidents are connected is unknown. Experts like Steinhauer note that hackers sometimes target a piece of software used by many different companies and organizations. But the range of tactics used could indicate the involvement of different groups. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Companies' language around cyberattacks and security breaches also varies — and may depend on what they know when. But many don't immediately or publicly specify whether ransomware was involved. Still, Steinhauer says the likelihood of ransomware attacks is 'pretty high' in today's cybersecurity landscape — and key indicators can include businesses taking their systems offline or delaying financial reporting. Overall, experts say it's important to build up 'cyber hygiene' defenses and preparations across organizations. 'Cyber is a business risk, and it needs to be treated that way,' Clewlow said.

Worker who leaked plans to build golf courses in Florida parks files whistleblower suit
Worker who leaked plans to build golf courses in Florida parks files whistleblower suit

Toronto Star

timean hour ago

  • Toronto Star

Worker who leaked plans to build golf courses in Florida parks files whistleblower suit

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A former worker who leaked information about plans by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration to build golf courses and hotels in Florida state parks has filed a whistleblower lawsuit. James Gaddis alleges that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection retaliated against him for sharing details of the proposals, which caused bipartisan outrage and sparked protests. Ultimately the plans were scuttled. A spokesperson for the department declined to comment, saying the agency does not do so with pending litigation. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Gaddis, who was a consultant in DEP's Office of Park Planning, says he was directed to draw up 'secret maps' to build golf courses, hotels and pickleball courts in nine parks. Park staffers were ordered not to talk to any colleagues about the proposals, which in Gaddis' view amounted to destroying 'globally significant' environments. The experience felt like 'mapping out a future crime scene,' according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Leon County. Gaddis copied documents onto a flash drive and shared it with an unnamed intermediary, the lawsuit says, and the next day the Tampa Bay Times wrote about the plans. Gaddis says he was called into a meeting by a supervisor and asked if he shared the documents, which he admitted to. He was put on administrative leave and later fired, and the suit says that amounted to disparate treatment and retaliation. The complaint seeks damages of at least $100,000. The Republican-dominated state Legislature has since passed a bill banning development in state parks, and DeSantis signed it into law. Gaddis started an online fundraiser to help cover expenses, with an initial goal of $10,000. As of June 11, it had brought in more than $258,000. ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store