Fourth-Generation Farmer John Boyd Jr. on Trade Wars and Farmer Hardship

Trade Wars Impact on Farmers

• 🎯 Trade wars are a bad time for America's farmers, especially with planning season underway.
• ⚠️ The current situation is casting a net of uncertainty over the agricultural sector.
• 📉 Every time the word "tariffs" is mentioned, prices continue to go down, and markets become shaky.

Financial Strain and USDA Delays

• 🏦 Many farmers do not have farm operating loans, and appropriated funds are being held up at the USDA.
• 🚫 Grants for the National Black Farmers Association have also been delayed, preventing payments to members.
• 🌾 Farmers are already coming off a bad season with high costs for fuel, fertilizer, and seed, and selling crops at a low price.

Concerns for Black Farmers

• ✊ The announcement of aid for South African farmers, with a path to citizenship and land, is seen as a "punch in the eye" to American Black farmers who struggle to acquire land.
• ⚖️ There's a perception that USDA processes do not favor Black farmers, leading to a lack of trust.
• 💔 The fear is that more farmers will lose land, which should not happen in the richest country in the world.

Export Markets and Proposed Solutions

• 🇨🇳 China is the number one purchaser of soybeans, and Mexico is the number one purchaser of corn for the US.
• 💡 John Boyd Jr. urges the president to resolve trade disputes and release emergency and operating loans to farmers.
• 🤝 He suggests the president should instruct his trade representative to bring in new trade partners to help American farmers who are currently hurting.