Latest news with #MinnesotaFarmersUnion
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fears of farm crisis mount in ongoing trade war
The Brief Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha joined other Democratic state treasurers to warn of looming chaos amid tariff uncertainty. Minnesota Farmers Union fears we may be on the verge of a crisis similar to the 1980s if trade deals are finalized quickly. President Trump vows to protect farmers as White House considers possible relief money. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - For months, elected officials and industry leaders have raised the alarm. They fear farmers are headed for deep trouble amidst the ongoing trade war and tariff uncertainty and bailing them out will be far more expensive than it was in 2018, when exports to China took a big hit. The voices of concern keep growing as the US planting season gets underway. What we know On Wednesday, Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha joined a national virtual press conference to sound alarm over newly imposed 10% tariffs on all imports. As other countries respond with tariffs of their own, farm exports could take a huge hit around the world. "Trump spends a lot of time talking about how tariffs are going to make us rich," Blaha said. "Well, I don't think we should talk about anyone getting rich before we make sure farmers don't go broke." Joined by state treasurers from five other states, all Democrats, she said farmers need to hear a plan to whether the uncertainty. And she warned that the $28 billion in bailouts that came after a trade war with China during Trump's first term would be nowhere near enough this time around, as countries from around the world are now involved. "The kind of bailout we had in 2018 after tariffs in agriculture would not be big enough to balance out what we're going through right now." What they're saying The president of the Minnesota Farmers Union says the alarm is justified. Gary Wertish worries we're on the verge of a crisis like what we saw in the 1980s if trade deals aren't finalized very quickly. "The longer this drags on, we're going to lose some farmers," Wertish told FOX 9. "If you don't have the equity, you might not have the choice whether you want to keep farming or not." Part of the issue, he says, is that profit margins in farming are slim already, with costs of things like fertilizer and equipment much higher. And what makes this more concerning than the trade war with China in 2018, when exports took a huge hit, is that now it's not one country, but many. Farmers then turned to other markets to export product, but those are taking a hit, too. "Even if it ends tomorrow, we've already created a lot of damage and that's the part that's going to take decades to get over." Trump's response On Tuesday, President Trump acknowledged the growing fears in a post to social media, writing "The USA will PROTECT OUR FARMERS." And the White House acknowledged that a relief package was being considered. But there is skepticism any bailout could be enough. The ultimate cost after the 2018 trade war with China came to $28 billion. This time, it's not just China that may cut their imports. The anxiety was apparent during a recent series of town halls that Wertish held in rural areas of Minnesota. "One lady at one of the meetings," Wertish recounted, "she mentioned the president's betting the farm on tariffs. But he's not betting his farm. It's the farmers livelihoods he's playing with now."
CBS News
08-03-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Minnesota experts and lawmakers weigh in on ending daylight saving time
To change or not to change — that is the question. Daylight saving time begins this weekend and sunset will be an hour later. A Minnesota sleep expert opposes the yearly practice. "It's terrible. It's absolutely terrible," said Dr. Andrew Stiehm of Allina Health. Former Minnesota dairy farmer Peter Ripka shares the same feelings. "It doesn't serve a purpose no more," said Ripka. President Trump is also weighing in on whether to take it away. "It's very much a 50/50 issue," said Trump. "It's something I can do but a lot of people like it one way, a lot of people like it the other way," The official practice of daylight saving time began in 1918 in the U.S. Some say it was because of farming, and other research says it was an original idea from Benjamin Franklin to conserve energy. "That's before tractors had lights. Farmers couldn't do stuff out in the fields," said Ripka. Ripka milked cows in Kanabec County for 35 years. He now works for the Minnesota Farmers Union, which supports opting out of the time switch. "It doesn't stop agriculture now," said Ripka. State Rep. Mike Freiberg, DFL-Golden Valley, is also in favor of getting rid of daylight saving time. "Once Congress gives us authorization to go to daylight saving time permanently, then Minnesota will automatically do that, and that's currently in state law," said Freiberg. The Minnesota law that passed in 2021 to change how we change our clocks was a bipartisan effort, according to Freiberg. "Another person who cared about it a lot was former Senator Mary Kiffmeyer, who's a pretty conservative Republican, and I'd say I'm a pretty liberal Democrat," said Freiberg. Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, posted a poll on X Wednesday asking users if they prefer an hour earlier or an hour later if officials got rid of daylight saving time. Medical experts agree that it's better to be on standard time. "If you think about humans aren't set on the clock, but the sun," said Stiehm. "Our body sense of what is true is not based on the clock, but the sun, and standard time is built around the sun."
CBS News
18-02-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Minnesota House committee advances bill to remove undocumented immigrants from state-funded health care
Minnesota has some of the most inclusive laws in the country to support undocumented residents. On Monday, however, a House committee advanced an effort to remove undocumented immigrants from state-funded health care, scholarships and other programs. "Minnesotans today are seeing their tax dollars go to folks who are here illegally on public programs like MinnesotaCare, which are becoming magnets for people from foreign countries," Schultz said. But health care providers, including hospitals, testified keeping an estimated 7,700 undocumented residents on MinnesotaCare keeps costly emergency room visits down. The Minnesota Farmers Union testified that farmers need undocumented workers, and that the workers need health care. "We supported coverage for the undocumented because they play a critical role in our food and agriculture system," Stu Lowery with the Minnesota Farmers Union said. "Immigrants disproportionately work, not just on farms, but also in food processing, meatpacking, and food service. Farmers and our food system rely on people our new to our country." All 11 Republican committee members voted to remove the undocumented from state health care and other programs, and all 10 Democrats voted no. The bill now moves on to another committee in what is, for now, a Republican-controlled House. In the Minnesota Senate, where the DFL has control, DFL Senators are vowing to preserve existing laws benefiting the undocumented. The bill's sponsor says this measure would save the state an estimated $100 million.
