The debates are flying all over the place. One day we hear that we need to be patient and China will live up to their purchases of $40 billion in U.S. Ag products. The next day, we are told that there is no way they are going to live up to it. We hear threats from the administration to pull out of the Chinese trade deal. This after 2 years of a depressed farm economy, partially brought on by missing trade deals. One trade adviser says we need trade if we are going to survive this pandemic in the agriculture sector.
Dave Salmonsen is a trade adviser for the American Farm Bureau Federation. He says that exports for agriculture are going to be key if we are to come out of this global pandemic with any chance of recovery.
Salmonsen says trade efforts have not subsided during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have just taken on a new form, just like the rest of our lives.
Efforts may have been slowed, but Salmonsen says they are beginning to bear fruit.
Much of the focus will be on whether China can make good on its promise. This is traditionally a slow time for Chinese Ag purchases, and they are trying to recover their economy from the COVID-19 outbreak as well. They are still buying corn, soybeans, pork, beef, wheat, and cotton. They have also added markets for blueberries and barley as well.
