In an urgent plea to President Trump, a U.S. soybean farmer — who voted for him in the last three elections — called for an immediate trade deal with China to safeguard the future of American agriculture. The appeal came in a letter published by The Free Presson April 10.
Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association and a farmer from Magnolia, Kentucky, wrote the letter on behalf of the 500,000 soybean farmers. He expressed deep concern over the devastating effects the ongoing trade war could have on their livelihoods.
"My family has been farmers for nine generations," Ragland wrote. "But now, because of the trade war with China, I'm worried we could be out of business by 2027. All that history, heritage, blood, sweat and toil could vanish with the stroke of a pen".
According to Ragland, China bought 52 percent of all U.S. soybean exports last year, but the first trade war cost farmers nearly 10 percent of their market share — a loss they've never fully recovered from. The farm economy is now in a far more fragile state than during Trump's first term, he added, and rising inflation and costs of production have only worsened the situation.
"The longer the stalemate continues, the likelier China is to take its business elsewhere," he warned. The damage is already visible: Some of Ragland's fellow farmers have been forced to auction off their farms, declare bankruptcy or take jobs as hired farmhands just to try and survive.
But the crisis extends beyond farmers, Ragland stressed. "Agriculture and food industries support over 34 million American jobs — from seed and fertilizer retailers to agronomists who help farmers make the best financial decisions—and contribute $1.5 trillion to the economy," he noted.
"The current trade war with China is a gamble with American livelihoods, especially for farmers — those of us who grew up with soil and sweat — who can't imagine doing anything else," Ragland added.
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