SD Farmer Testifies on Tariff Impact before Noem’s Committee
Washington, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem today welcomed Scott VanderWal, a Volga-area farmer and president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau, to testify on the impact of China’s retaliatory tariffs. Hosted by the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee of which Noem is a member, the hearing gave Congress the opportunity to learn about the effects of tariffs on U.S. agriculture and rural communities.
“For years, China has exploited the American people, and they need to be held accountable for that. But farmers and ranchers can’t afford China’s retaliatory tariffs,” said Noem. “Especially given the national security risks that would come if another country controls our food supply, the administration must help provide a strong safety net for America’s producers. I am grateful to Scott VanderWal for sharing his perspective and hopeful it offered Congress a new perspective on the incredible burden producers are bearing.”
“Since 2014, the American farmer’s income has fallen 52 percent. Now, farmers are dealing with big shifts in the commodity markets because of trade and tariff threats,” saidVanderWal. “We understand other countries, particularly China, have not played fairly, and we respect President Trump’s desire to remedy those situations. The problem is, those countries know just where to punch us back in a dispute by targeting our agriculture products. Through no fault of our own, and unintentionally, our industry ends up being used for leverage. We must get back to the table and get these issues worked out. If we cannot do that, the consequences are dire.”
This spring, Noem led 46 members of the U.S. House of Representatives in a letter to President Trump on the issue. The letter warned: “All our hard-won gains in Farm Country are at serious risk of being wiped away because China is threatening retaliation against American farmers.” In July, she also partnered with Sens. John Thune and Mike Rounds inurging the Administration to prioritize ag producers.
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First of all, I thought this was the most articulate presentation that I have ever seen the Congresswoman give. But with that standing, explain to me how China has hurt the American farmers now, when contemporaneous trade agreements have for sometime been alleging hurting or ignoring our farmers with unfair trade agreements? Because haven’t Trump’s recent actions merely exacerbated the situation and to blame China for all of this is to suggest that we had something we lost, which the Congresswoman herself claims we never really had?
If Trump was elected to “Drain the Swamp” how does he do that if he does what has already been done for decades? Are farmers currently harvesting their crops? No. There are many farmers who support Trump and are hopeful he will correct these trade imbalances. He’s willing to make a deal, China is at a stand still hoping the establishment will break him. If the tariffs don’t work, the president can take it back. I’m confident he will get all countries involved to the table and make a deal for America’s farmers.
China is the world’s Walmart and they got that way by currency manipulation and tariffs. China was the first to start this trade war and it’s been ongoing for over 25yrs. They are also stealing our technology information and Trump is going to do something to stop them from using and walking over America.
Even before the threat of tariffs the Dept. of Ag predicted farm income would decrease this year to $60billion, and we were also watching crop prices drop and land prices increase. Some farmers quit (ie Pawnee City, NE) before this battle even began. What was Noem, Thune and Rounds doing to help our farmers before? Talking?
Many of the crops are sold on futures; so the price now is what the farmers will be paid regardless of what the price or tariffs are when the crops are harvested. These tariffs are not theoretical. They are already hurting our farmers, which will hurt our entire economy.
Yes, they’re sold on futures and prices have consistently fluctuated. I also agree that tariffs/taxes hurt our entire economy. What can we do to help Americans? I have an idea, because when a problem is presented I like to talk solutions. Buy American made products, though the prices are higher than the cheaply made products from China, your future purchases can help America or China. Which do you prefer? Could farmers buy American made steel for their sheds or bins?
Are there any groups that support and encourage people to buy from Americans so they can prosper?
Futures prices were just reaching profitable levels before the trade war began, and they have plummeted since then. That’s all that matters to me. Elevators don’t know where their beans are going this fall. Talk is cheap.
right before her moment, erik paulsen of MN questioned his own guest and had a detailed talk about the various impacts on farmers. you should see the whole hearing. kristi laid out the best description of the president’s perogatives.