“AEDE works to understand the problems faced by Ohio agriculture and rural communities and then provide research-based insights to help people with those problems,” said Amy Ando, AEDE professor and department chair. “The Outlook and Policy Conference is a key opportunity for us to meet people in person, hear their concerns and have interactive conversations about the insights we have to share.”
This year’s conference will feature presentations on urgent topics including energy, labor markets, food systems, renewable fuels, livestock, trade policy and grain markets.
“Agriculture and rural areas face a host of challenges right now,” Ando said. “Factors like tariffs, animal diseases, weather shocks, interest rates, immigration policy and energy policy combine to create tough times but also some rays of light for many farmers and rural communities.”
International trade is among the most complex of those challenges.
“Export markets are critical to U.S. farmers,” said Ian Sheldon, holder of The Andersons Endowed Chair in Agricultural Marketing, Trade and Policy at CFAES. “Three key trade policy issues are the extent to which China meets its commitment to import 12 million tons of U.S. soybeans; the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court on across-the-board tariffs; and whether trade agreements with Japan and other partners can provide alternative export markets.”
As the trade policy landscape continues to evolve, Sheldon stressed the importance of monitoring these developments for Ohio’s producers and agribusinesses.
“Ongoing trade wars are impacting outlooks especially for soybeans, with U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasting no exports from Ohio to China this year which means growers in the state are relying more than ever on markets like Indonesia and Taiwan,” he said.
Source : osu.edu