In a recent News 9 story, Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Rodd Moesel helped explain the impact of Chinese tariffs on U.S. soybeans and pork.
“A huge percent of the overall American production, especially Oklahoma production, goes to China,” Moesel said in the story. “So, when the spigot to China was turned off and they switched to buying from Brazil and other countries, it left way more supply than we need for the American market.”
An estimated 40% of income for soybean farmers this year originated from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market Facilitation Program, which was designed to help replace lost markets, Moesel said. But farmers would rather have the opportunity to sell products in Chinese markets.
“Farmers don’t really want government payments,” he said. “We want markets.”
Oklahoma Pork Council Executive Director Roy Lee Lindsey also shared the impact of the tariffs on pork producers.
“We’re dependent on markets around the world,” Lindsey said in the News 9 story. “We need that opportunity to sell our product around the world.”
