Farmers should unite to fight unfair trade policies

2025 has been a tough year for farmers.

- Anthony Pahnke, Tribune News Service

As if the perennial problems of price volatility and changing weather patterns were not enough, the Trump administration's trade war with China made matters worse. In the past year, grain farmers have seen their markets increasingly taken by their Brazilian counterparts. Even after reaching a deal to purchase American soy, China's 138 tariff on the commodity will continue to hurt farmers' pocketbooks.

To make matters worse, the president's decision to hike imports of Argentine meat into American markets instead of dedicating resources to build US herds served yet another gut punch for farmers, who have also had to deal with higher prices for inputs like fertiliser. With their markets ruined, it is no wonder that farmers desperately await $12 billion in relief payments that Trump promised to send their way. But what they'd rather have is a fair price for the crops they've grown. As one farmer told Trump at a Dec. 8 roundtable, “With this bridge payment, we'll be able to farm another year.” But that’s not good enough for people who work year-in-and-year-out getting food onto our tables.