MANHATTAN, KAN – Kansas farmers and ranchers depend on market access for our exports around the globe. Kansas Farm Bureau voiced concern about retaliation when the Trump administration announced new tariffs on steel and aluminum and continue to watch developments closely.
The retaliation by China against the proposed tariffs will result in drastic impacts on Kansas markets for beef, pork, soybeans, sorghum and airplanes. Many of these products already face tariffs and will now be subject to additional surcharges of 15 to 25 percent.
Farmers and ranchers are, by necessity, patient and optimistic, says Kansas Farm Bureau President Richard Felts who farms in Montgomery County. Markets ebb and flow but China’s threatened retaliation against the U.S. tariff proposal is testing both the patience and optimism of families who are facing the worst agricultural economy in 16 years. This must stop.
“Growing trade disputes have placed farmers and ranchers in a precarious position,” Felts said. “We have bills to pay and debts we must settle and cannot afford to lose any market. We urge the United States and China to return to negotiations and produce an agreement that serves the interests of the world’s two largest economies.”
John Schlageck – Kansas Farm Bureau
