Pa. farmers nervously keep an eye on U.S.-China trade war
FILE PHOTO: Daniel Melhorn drives his combine through a field of soybeans in Danville, Pa.as three whitetail deer move from one section of corn to another behind the harvester. Melhorn picks about 800 bushels of soybeans every two to three hours. (AP Photo/Bloomsburg Press Enterprise, Jimmy May)
(Harrisburg) — Farmers across the state are starting to feel the effects of the trade war between the U.S. and China.
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau spokesman Mark O’Neill says China’s tariffs against soybeans from America are negatively impacting farmers in the commonwealth.
“One third of all the soybeans produced by American farmers are exported to China,” he says. “So with these new retalitory efforts, it makes it much more expensive for Chinese companies to purchase our soybeans.”
He notes the price American farmers get for their soybeans was about $2 a bushel less, even before the tariffs were imposed.
“Here in Pennsylvania, farmers are affected by those prices — whether their soybeans go directly to China or whether they are sold in other ways here in the United States or other countries,” he says. “The price they receive is lower because of this trade war.”
O’Neill says the state Farm Bureau hopes cooler heads will prevail, adding the tariffs are not benefiting anyone. I
If the situation persists he adds many farmers in the commownealth may feel the pain to the point where they’re no longer able to operate.
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