Farmers could see another bailout if U.S. tariffs cause economic fallout in ag

Farmers should be noticing a pattern by now. When the Trump administration imposed tariffs amidst trade wars with China in 2018, farmers were compensated with a round of bailouts. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said if farmers’ pockets are hurt again by the tariffs, they can expect the same outcome.

Rollins appeared alongside Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and other state leaders on March 31 during a tour of agricultural facilities, including a dry mill ethanol plant in Atlantic, a family farm in Waukee and Beck’s Hybrids in Colfax. Newton News gathered with other state reporters to speak with Rollins after a roundtable.

In between each stop, Rollins said she has been on the phone with the White House and with people back in Washington, D.C. Hopefully, she said, American farmers and the agriculture community won’t be hurt by these incoming trade decisions and the tariffs imposed on other countries.

“But if they are, the president’s commitment is the same today as it was five or six years ago,” Rollins said. “And we at USDA and our partners across Congress and in Washington will work around the clock to ensure that we have the programs in place to do what we did the last time.”

While the economic impact has yet to be determined, Rollins assured the same commitment to farmers would be followed. U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks added that farmers and ranchers in Iowa are very pleased with the announcement that Rollins is going on trade missions to open more markets.

For the past four years, the costs of inputs — land, fuel, fertilizer, etc. — for farmers and ranchers, Rollins said, have increased on average about 30 percent.

“Also we have a trade deficit of almost $50 billion that was $0 when we left the (first Trump administration),” Rollins said. “So there just wasn’t the focus in the last administration — I’m not here to Republican-versus-Democrat — there just wasn’t a focus to expand the markets, and in fact the markets even contracted.”

Rollins has made it her goal to visit these six countries in the coming months: India, Vietnam, Peru, Brazil, United Kingdom and Japan. She plans to take along partners from the U.S. State Department and other members of the federal government to re-open markets and find new markets to sell farmer goods.

Prior to speaking with the press, Rollins participated in a roundtable discussion with Beck’s Hybrids employees. Those conversations were closed off from the press, but her opening remarks were open for pictures and recording. She said President Donald Trump gave her a message to share:

“‘You tell farmers that I have their backs (and) that you will be entering a golden age of prosperity for all of our Americans, but especially our farmers and ranchers,‘” Rollins said before starting the roundtable discussions at Beck’s. “…I want you know we’re there in Washington. We’re realigning the USDA.”