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

Federal immigration raid at Omaha food production plant sparks protests
Federal immigration raid at Omaha food production plant sparks protests

Winnipeg Free Press

time22 minutes ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Federal immigration raid at Omaha food production plant sparks protests

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Immigration authorities raided at least one Omaha food production plant Tuesday morning, inspiring some small protests, but details about how many workers were affected weren't immediately clear. Omaha police and the Douglas County sheriff said immigration officials had warned them about their plans, and their departments helped block off traffic around the neighborhood where many food production plants are located while U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers worked. ICE officials didn't immediately respond to questions. Meatpacking plants rely heavily on immigrant workers who are willing to do the physically demanding work. The industry has not yet been the focus of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement efforts, but the administration has been intensifying its efforts in recent weeks. Trump called out the National Guard this week to respond to ongoing protests in Los Angeles over his immigration policies. In Omaha, a small group of people came out to protest the raids, and some of them even jumped on the front bumper of a vehicle to try to stop officers. Glenn Valley Foods officials didn't immediately respond to an inquiry from The Associated Press, but WOWT reported that CEO and owner Gary Rohwer said he wasn't made aware of the operation ahead of time and that there was no warrant. 'Of course not. It's a raid,' said Rohwer, whose company makes the Gary's QuickSteak brand of ready-to-grill steak. Federal agents entered the plant around 9 a.m. Tuesday with a list of 97 people they wanted to screen, Rohwer said. He said the company regularly checks the immigration status of employees with the federal E-Verify database. The raids prompted one Douglas County Commissioner to walk out in the middle of a meeting Tuesday to head down to the area he represents in southeast Omaha where the plants are located. Commissioner Roger Garcia and City Councilman Ron Hug both expressed concern about the impact of the raids on families. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'These actions are deeply harmful to the South Omaha community,' Hug said in a statement. 'Not only are they unjust and disruptive, but they also directly undermine the economic stability and growth of District 4 and the broader community.' Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson said his agency is 'not privy to the exact nature of the ICE operation' but that his agency is there to assist with assuring 'peace and safety' of everyone in the area. Asked when he learned of the operation, he said his department received 'respectful and ample notification.' He says he got the notification about a week ago.

Gabbard says AI is speeding up intel work, including the release of the JFK assassination files
Gabbard says AI is speeding up intel work, including the release of the JFK assassination files

Winnipeg Free Press

time37 minutes ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Gabbard says AI is speeding up intel work, including the release of the JFK assassination files

WASHINGTON (AP) — Artificial intelligence is speeding up the work of America's intelligence services, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Tuesday. Speaking to a technology conference, Gabbard said AI programs, when used responsibly, can save money and free up intelligence officers to focus on gathering and analyzing information. The sometimes slow pace of intelligence work frustrated her as a member of Congress, Gabbard said, and continues to be a challenge. AI can run human resource programs, for instance, or scan sensitive documents ahead of potential declassification, Gabbard said. Her office has released tens of thousands of pages of material related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and his brother, New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, on the orders of President Donald Trump. Experts had predicted the process could take many months or even years, but AI accelerated the work by scanning the documents to see if they contained any material that should remain classified, Gabbard said during her remarks at the Amazon Web Services Summit in Washington. 'We have been able to do that through the use of AI tools far more quickly than what was done previously — which was to have humans go through and look at every single one of these pages,' Gabbard said. The intelligence community already relies on many private-sector technologies, and Gabbard said she wants to expand that relationship instead of using federal resources to create expensive alternatives. 'How do we look at the available tools that exist — largely in the private sector — to make it so that our intelligence professionals, both collectors and analysts, are able to focus their time and energy on the things that only they can do,' she said. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Gabbard, who coordinates the work of 18 intelligence agencies, has vowed to shake up America's spy services. Since assuming her role this year, she has created a new task force to consider changes to agency operations as well as greater declassification. She also has fired two veteran intelligence officers because of perceived opposition to Trump, eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion programs and relocated the staff who prepare the President's Daily Brief to give her more direct control.

Togo's president faces calls to resign after protests over new role allowing indefinite rule
Togo's president faces calls to resign after protests over new role allowing indefinite rule

Winnipeg Free Press

timean hour ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Togo's president faces calls to resign after protests over new role allowing indefinite rule

LOME, Togo (AP) — Togo's President Faure Gnassingbé is facing growing pressure following a government clampdown on protests calling for his resignation over recent changes in the constitution that could effectively keep him in power indefinitely. Activists on Tuesday condemned the arrest and alleged maltreatment of dozens of people following staged protests late last week in Togo's capital, Lomé, and on social media. The Togolese leader, who has ruled since 2005 after the death of his father, was in May sworn in as President of the Council of Ministers. The powerful role has not official term limits and he is eligible to be re-elected by parliament indefinitely. Opposition politicians have denounced the move as a 'constitutional coup.' Around half of the 80 protesters who were arrested were released late Monday. However, at least 25 remain in custody, a local rights group said, urging authorities to release the others. 'What we know is that several people were beaten during their arrest,' Aimé Adi, director of Amnesty International's office in Togo, told The Associated Press. In addition to the release of the remaining detainees, 'what the Togolese now want is the end of this regime which can no longer offer anything to the people after 20 years of absolute and repressive power of Faure Gnassingbé,' said a coalition of political groups known as 'Hands Off My Constitution'. Demonstrations are rare in Togo as they have been banned in the country since 2022, following a deadly attack at Lome's main market. But the latest change in government structure has been widely criticized in a region threatened by rampant coups and other threats to democracy. Public prosecutor Talaka Mawama has defended the arrests and described the protests as 'part of a revolt against the institutions of the Republic.'

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