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I grew up on a farm, my family are all farmers with me being the exception. Our family runs over 20,000 acres in southern Minnesota.
One thing is a constant, farmers will complain about everything and anything. In my experience 90% of the time it's their own dumb decisions that get them into trouble.
My brothers run our farm on zero debt and that means going without the latest equipment for years on end. And even then we have operated with a loss at times.
If you aren't playing the long game in farming you may as well stay out of the business because the winds change for every administration.
Government programs are essential for farmers who are running with huge debt load, and there are a lot of them out there doing that. We run zero debt. Big difference.
Farmers are well off, they can take a hit. But there greed doesn't allow them to live a more simple lifestyle.
China isn't their only potential market and they should look to the increased expenses made from investors and chemical companies and the need for excessive production to stay profitable.
Farming has always been subsidized by the government.
Most farmers are greedy and want to run their farm like a business to live by an urban living standard. They can't accept less and often are put to the task by chemical companies and investors who raise prices.
Furthermore state policy forced them to be dependent on foriegn markets, specifically china. But they can take a hit, in fact it will be good for them.
What percentage of our agricultural production is exported?
What percentage of that goes to China?
Now, figure out what percentage of our agricultural production is affected by the tarrifs.
Sorry, but it's extremely low.
Okay, but that's assuming all farmers participate in all sectors of farming. Tell the soybean farmers that they're fine because lavender farmers are doing great.
Okay, but that's assuming all farmers participate in all sectors of farming. Tell the soybean farmers that they're fine because lavender farmers are doing great.
The reason you have highly specified farmers isn't because of soil/climate differences regionally, but because farms are taught to be run like a business.
When you include chemical companies and outside investors who demand efficiency, specialization is highly incentivized for farmers who want to make money and be reliant on the global supply chains corporations build for them.
If farmers were less greedy and were willing to live more simple lives like the yeoman farmers of old (what American farmers use to be) they wouldn't complain.
Farming is a lucrative business, they can take the hit. In fact they should, they have been corrupted by corporate business models and greed.
I doubt if any of us on this board really know much about these markets..myself included.
But the farmer quoted grows sunflowers and winter wheat. Here are historical prices of sunflower oil.
Jan 2010 $968 per metric ton
Jan 2011 $1498 per metric ton
Jan 2012 $1210 per metric ton
Jan 2013 $1270 per metric ton
Jan 2014 $920 per metric ton
Jan 2015 $ 870 per metric ton
Jan 2016 $885 per metric ton
Jan 2017 $873 per metric ton
Jan 2018 $806 per metric ton
Current $725 per metric ton
It seems to me there is much more at work here than Trump's trade war. Unless it started in 2011.
Here is a link to a graph for winter wheat prices. https://www.indexmundi.com/commoditi...eat&months=120
It has dropped dramatically since 2012. And had raised dramatically from 2009 to 2012
high in 2012 was $342 per metric ton was 167 per metric ton when Trump became president current is 222 per metric ton.
A post with facts and numbers. Refreshing! I don't care if you are a Democrat or a Republican but Thank you!
I grew up on a farm, my family are all farmers with me being the exception. Our family runs over 20,000 acres in southern Minnesota.
One thing is a constant, farmers will complain about everything and anything. In my experience 90% of the time it's their own dumb decisions that get them into trouble.
My brothers run our farm on zero debt and that means going without the latest equipment for years on end. And even then we have operated with a loss at times.
If you aren't playing the long game in farming you may as well stay out of the business because the winds change for every administration.
Government programs are essential for farmers who are running with huge debt load, and there are a lot of them out there doing that. We run zero debt. Big difference.
Then those farmers should stop screaming about socialism. These farmers are complaining about socialism while lapping it up themselves. If they want to elect someone like Trump and then complain he took their markets, why are we supposed to give them aid/welfare?
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who gave them those handouts. 
