Farmer Tariff Aid Shrinking After Trade Deals?

By Ryan Hanrahan

Brownfield Ag News’ Nicole Heslip reported that “the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture says trade deal negotiations during the shutdown could impact the possibility of farmer assistance this year. During a call with reporters on Monday, Stephen Vaden said dynamics have changed since the end of September.”

“‘Most notably, the President successfully negotiated trade deals almost everywhere the man went,’ he stressed,” according to Heslip’s reporting. “‘Whether we’re talking about China, but I equally want to pay attention to Southeast Asia, Pakistan, and Japan. Those have resulted in major commitments to buy American commodities.’ He says USDA will be considering its influence on commodity markets into the new year before any decisions are made about additional relief.”

The Tennessee Lookout’s Cassandra Stephenson reported that “the White House announced a trade agreement with China in October in which China agreed to purchase at least 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans by the end of 2025, and at least 25 million metric tons each year through 2028.”

“Asked what would happen if China does not meet the 12 million metric ton agreement by the Jan. 1 deadline, a USDA spokesperson wrote that the ‘farm economy is in a difficult situation’ and Trump is ‘utilizing all the tools available to ensure farmers have what they need to continue their farming operations,'” Stephenson reported. “The USDA will ‘continue to assess the farm economy and explore the need for further assistance, however, there is nothing new to share at this time,’ the spokesperson wrote in an email to the Lookout.”