Between retaliatory tariffs and deportations, farmers are getting the short end of the stick, which is now both ends of the stick. Winter wheat is planted in the fall and is almost ready to harvest (pictured above). Half of that wheat is exported. But now, it looks like farmers, producers, and shippers are going to be required to pay a $1 million shipping fee to help revive the U.S. shipbuilding industry. The country only has 14 ships sailing under its flag; all the rest of the ships that export grain and other commodities to other countries fly under various flags, many of them Chinese. Retaliatory tariffs are also an issue. How much can winter wheat farmers, who rarely make a profit anyway, bear in this trade war?
The third burden on America's farmers during this Administration is the threat of the disappearance of their labor force. Without migrant labor to harvest the crops, it doesn't matter what the prices, tariffs and fees are. Those crops will rot in the fields and orchards. Read more about it here in the March 25, 2025 issue of the Colorado Sun:
The Ft. Collins-based National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation is under attack by DOGE. This lab houses the seed for hundreds of major crops, protecting against catastrophic events and losses. Amy Charkowski, associate dean of research at CSU, says,
ReplyDelete"We would like to see our legislators support the germplasm center because it's irreplaceable and so crucial to food security in the United States and globally.”
https://www.cpr.org/2025/04/01/csu-national-laboratory-for-genetic-resource-preservation-crops-doge-cuts/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=lookout&utm_campaign=lookout20250402