Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 24 SepteMber 2018

As aid checks go out, farmers worry bailout won't be enough

By JULIET LINDERMAN sold, on average, 20 million
WASHINGTON (AP) — Farm- bushels of wheat to China
ers across the United States over the past three years.
will soon begin receiving But none came this year,
government checks as part Goule said, as Trump esca-
of a billion-dollar bailout to lated his threatening rheto-
buoy growers experiencing ric on trade with Beijing. He
financial strain from Presi- hopes the per-bushel rate
dent Donald Trump's trade for wheat goes up if there's
disputes with China. a second round of pay-
But even those poised for ments.
big payouts worry it won't "I am very certain that we
be enough. And while sup- will not sell any wheat to
port for Trump is near un- China this year," Goule
wavering in the heartland, said. "The window we sell in
some growers say that with has come and gone."
the November election The response among farm-
nearing, such disappoint- ers has been mixed. While
ing aid outcomes could some are grateful for the
potentially affect their help, most are eager for
vote."It's pretty obvious that the trade disputes to be
the rural agriculture com- quickly resolved.
munities helped elect this "Nobody wants to have
administration, but the way an aid package. I mean,
things are going I believe Jack Maloney poses in front of the grain bins on his Little Ireland Farms in Brownsburg, Ind., if you're a farmer you're
farmers are going to have Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. in the business of produc-
to vote with their check- Associated Press ing a crop. We just want
book when it comes time," a fair price for it," said Joel
said Kevin Skunes, a corn in emergency relief funds bean, imports prices have sis of how the department Schreurs, a soybean and
and soybean grower from for American farmers, with plunged. made its calculations. corn producer near Tyler
Arthur, North Dakota and roughly $6 billion in an initial The lack of initial detail The breakdown has in southwestern Minnesota
president of the National round. The three-pronged about how the calcula- stunned corn and wheat who sits on the board of
Corn Growers Association. plan includes $4.7 billion in tions were made left farm- farmers who say the pay- both the American Soy-
Corn farmers get the small- payments to corn, cotton, ers scratching their heads. ments are uneven and bean Association and the
est slice of the aid pie. Corn soybean, dairy, pork and Asked about the confu- won't do much of anything Minnesota Soybean Grow-
groups estimate a loss of sorghum farmers. The rest sion, Rob Johansson, the to help keep struggling ers Association.
44 cents per bushel, but is for developing new for- Agriculture Department's farms afloat. His personal operation
they're poised to receive eign markets for American- chief economist, respond- A lobbying group that rep- is about 1,000 acres. He
just a single penny per grown commodities and ed that the USDA took into resents wheat growers is farms an additional 500
bushel. purchasing more than two account a number of fac- challenging the way the acres with his son-in-law
"If these issues haven't dozen select products, in- tors "including the share of administration determined and other relatives. He esti-
been resolved, there could cluding certain fresh fruits production that is exported payments for wheat farm- mates that the tariffs would
be a change in the way and vegetables, nuts, meat and the value of trade di- ers, who are set to receive cost him $40,000 to $50,000
farmers vote," Skunes said. and dairy. rectly affected by the retal- 14 cents a bushel. Chan- in lost income and that
"A person has to consider Agriculture Secretary Son- iatory tariffs." dler Goule, CEO of the Na- he would get $16,000 to
all things." ny Perdue announced "The level of damage is not tional Association of Wheat $20,000 in emergency aid.
Farmers are already feel- last month that soybean the same for each com- Growers, said the USDA as- Schreurs worries that it will
ing the impact of Trump's growers will get the largest modity," he said in a written sumed U.S. wheat would be hard for farmers to get
trade tiffs with China and checks, at $1.65 per bush- response to questions sub- be sold to China this year back the buyers they'll lose
other countries. China has el for a total of $3.6 billion. mitted by The Associated when it made its calcula- as a result of the trade
hit back hard, responding China is the world's lead- Press. tions. But the assumption wars. "And in the short term
with its own set of tariffs on ing buyer of American soy- He estimated that there was flawed, he said. we have to find another
U.S. agricultural products beans, purchasing roughly would be more than China typically makes its re- home for those beans, oth-
and other goods. 60 percent of the U.S. crop. 784,000 applications for quests for American wheat erwise they're going to pile
The Trump administration is But since Beijing imposed relief. The USDA has since between March and June. up and it will keep prices
providing up to $12 billion a 25 percent tariff on soy- released a detailed analy- U.S. wheat farmers have depressed," he said.q