Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 2 OctOber 2019
Ag secretary: No guarantee small dairy farms will survive

By TODD RICHMOND na's countermoves have
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — been especially hard on
President Donald Trump's American farmers because
agriculture secretary said they target U.S. agricultural
Tuesday during a stop in exports.
Wisconsin that he doesn't According to a September
know if the family dairy analysis by the U.S. Dairy Ex-
farm can survive as the in- port Council, U.S. dairy sol-
dustry moves toward a fac- ids exports to China fell by
tory farm model. 43 percent overall in the 11
U.S. Agriculture Secretary months starting in July 2018,
Sonny Perdue told reporters when China enacted the
following an appearance first round of retaliatory tar-
at the World Dairy Expo in iffs on U.S. dairy products.
Madison that it's getting About 3.7 billion pounds of
harder for farmers to get by U.S. farmers' milk had to find
on milking smaller herds. other markets during that
"In America, the big get span, the analysis found.
bigger and the small go Chinese leaders have said
out," Perdue said. "I don't they're ready to talk but will
think in America we, for any take whatever steps are
small business, we have necessary to protect their
a guaranteed income or rights.
guaranteed profitability." Perdue responded to Ly-
Perdue's visit comes as Wis- on's question by calling the
consin dairy farmers are U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue listens to a question from a Wisconsin farmer during a Chinese "cheaters."
wrestling with a host of town hall meeting at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019. "They toyed us into being
problems, including declin- Associated Press more dependent on their
ing milk prices, rising suicide markets than them on us.
rates, the transition to larg- the Perdue event feeling Perdue said he believes to charm the crowd with his That's what the problem
er farms with hundreds or discouraged about his fu- the 2018 farm bill should southern accent and jokes has been," he said. "They
thousands of animals and ture. help farmers stay afloat. about getting swiped in the can't expect to come into
Trump's international trade "What I heard today from The bill reauthorizes agricul- face by a cow's tail. our country freely and fairly
wars. the secretary of agricul- ture and conservation pro- Jeff Lyon, general manag- without opening up their
Wisconsin, which touts itself ture is there's no place for grams at a rough cost of er for FarmFirst Dairy Coop- markets."
as America's Dairyland on me," Volenec told report- $400 billion over five years erative in Madison, asked The secretary said the
its license plates, has lost ers. "Can I get some sup- or $867 billion over 10 years. Perdue for his thoughts on Trump administration is
551 dairy farms in 2019 after port from my state and fed- But he warned that small Trump's trade war with Chi- working to expand other
losing 638 in 2018 and 465 eral government? I feel like farms will still struggle to na. international markets, in-
in 2017, according to data we're a benefit to society." compete. Trump's administration has cluding targeting India,
from the state Department Getting bigger at the ex- "It's very difficult on an long accused China of Thailand, Vietnam, Japan
of Agriculture, Trade and pense of smaller operations economy of scale with the unfair trade practices and and Malaysia. He said he
Consumer Protection. The like his is "not a good way to capital needs and all the has imposed escalating had expected Congress to
Legislature's finance com- go," said Darin Von Ruden, environmental regulations rounds of tariffs on Chinese ratify a new trade agree-
mittee voted unanimously president of Wisconsin and everything else today imports to press for conces- ment between the United
last month to spend an ad- Farmers Union and a third to survive milking 40, 50, or sions. The administration States, Mexico and Cana-
ditional $200,000 to help generation dairy farmer 60 or even 100 cows," he alleges that Beijing steals da to replace NAFTA but
struggling farmers deal with who runs a 50-cow organic said. and forces foreign com- noted that Washington has
depression and mental farm. Perdue held a town hall panies to hand over trade been distracted over the
health problems. "Do we want one corpora- meeting with farmers and secrets, unfairly subsidizes last few days, an allusion
Jerry Volenec, a fifth gen- tion owning all the food in agricultural groups to kick Chinese companies and to impeachment proceed-
eration Wisconsin dairy our country?" he said to re- off the expo. The former engages in cyber-theft of ings against Trump ramping
farmer with 330 cows, left porters. Georgia governor seemed intellectual property. Chi- up last week.q

Drug stores trying to remove judge from U.S. opioid litigation

By JULIE CARR SMYTH cuit Court of Appeals in But defense attorneys ar- of the Judge's actions and side over the case comes
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Cincinnati that Cleveland- gued in Tuesday's filing comments leave Petitioners less than three weeks be-
A group of drug retailers based U.S. District Judge that Polster has been too no choice. Judge Polster fore the first jury trial is set to
and distributors asked an Dan Polster is not impartial. involved in settlement talks has lost sight of his judicial begin. That bellwether trial
Ohio federal appeals court Polster made the initial rul- surrounding the more than responsibilities under Article is to involve Akron — Ohio's
Tuesday to disqualify the ing on their claim, declining 2,000 cases in which cit- III — neutrality, discretion, fifth-largest city — and the
judge overseeing national Thursday to remove himself ies, counties, tribal gov- and restraint." surrounding Summit Coun-
opioid litigation after the from the massive multidis- ernments and unions seek A graduate of Harvard ty, as well as Cleveland's
judge himself denied their trict litigation and insisting damages from the phar- Law School, Polster was Cuyahoga County.
requests. he has remained neutral. maceutical industry for the nominated for the federal The companies said the
Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, "Publicly acknowledg- national opioid crisis. bench by Democratic Pres- timing is intentional be-
Rite Aid and drug distribu- ing this human toll does "Petitioners do not make ident Bill Clinton. He was cause they want Polster
tors AmerisourceBergen, not suggest I am biased; it this request lightly," they confirmed in 1998. removed before jury selec-
McKesson and Cardinal shows that I am human," he wrote. "But the extraordi- The latest in the dispute tion begins on Oct. 16, with
Health told the 6th U.S. Cir- wrote at the time. nary nature and number over Polster's fitness to pre- trial following Oct. 21.q