The administration’s aid package for farmers will shield U.S. agriculture while President Trump negotiates new and fairer trade deals, said a USDA spokesman on Wednesday. “Anxiety among farmers is completely understandable,” said the spokesman, responding to a poll showing most producers expect their farm income to fall because of trade conflicts.
“Farmers are patriots, but they can’t pay the bills with patriotism alone. There’s no question that they would rather sell a good crop at a fair price rather than receive a government payment,” said the spokesman. “President Trump is right to stand up to China, and other nations, after decades of bad behavior went unchecked. These programs were put in place to allow the president time to strike long-term trade deals to gain fair and free access to world markets, which will be better for producers in the long run. Our farmers are the best in the world, and on a level playing field, they will always win.”
The monthly Ag Economy Barometer, published by Purdue, said that 71 percent of the crop and livestock producers in its poll expect lower income due to trade turmoil, the same proportion as a month ago. But producers expect the reduction to be smaller than they feared previously. Three-quarters say it will be no more than 20 percent. A month ago, two-thirds said it would be less than 20 percent and one-third said it would be more than 20 percent.