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But thanks to an ongoing trade war and a partial government shutdown, Edwards and her farming neighbors are stuck. Instead of planning, this winter has become a season of worry.
A shuttered Department of Agriculture has made it much harder to apply for loans, receive subsidy checks or analyze the vital crop and market reports that help farmers strategize their next harvest. Decisions made today could mean the difference between solvency and survival.
President Donald Trump's trade war with China sent soybean prices to 10-year lows just as new steel tariffs drove up the cost of equipment and devoured the year's profits.
"As soon as the tariffs were put on steel, the cost of a new grain bin went up 15-25%," he says, pointing toward a massive steel container of corn. "So things are already tight and if you're thinking about buying a grain bin, you're probably not going to do it now."
Yet he refuses to criticize the policies of a President who flipped Iowa from blue to red with the help of farmers.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/22/polit...eir/index.html
A shuttered Department of Agriculture has made it much harder to apply for loans, receive subsidy checks or analyze the vital crop and market reports that help farmers strategize their next harvest. Decisions made today could mean the difference between solvency and survival.
President Donald Trump's trade war with China sent soybean prices to 10-year lows just as new steel tariffs drove up the cost of equipment and devoured the year's profits.
"As soon as the tariffs were put on steel, the cost of a new grain bin went up 15-25%," he says, pointing toward a massive steel container of corn. "So things are already tight and if you're thinking about buying a grain bin, you're probably not going to do it now."
Yet he refuses to criticize the policies of a President who flipped Iowa from blue to red with the help of farmers.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/22/polit...eir/index.html