Farmers weigh Trump’s trade war like they watch the weather, waiting to see how things go

By STEVE KARNOWSKI and KRISTIN M HALL Associated Press WAVERLY Minn AP Minnesota farmer Dan Glessing isn t ready to get too upset over President Donald Trump s commerce wars Farm country voted heavily for Trump last November Now Glessing and multiple other farmers are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the Republican president s disputes with China and other international markets China normally would buy about one row out of every four of the Minnesota soybean crop and took in nearly billion worth of soybeans from the U S as a whole last year More than half of U S soybeans are exported internationally with roughly half of those going to China so it s a critical arena Minnesota farmer Dan Glessing and his corgi Georgie are shown in his tractor as they prepare to take a break from planting soybeans on Thursday May near Waverly Minn AP Photo Steve Karnowski Trump last month raised U S tariffs on products from China to and China retaliated with But Monday s announcement of a -day truce between the two countries backed up the reluctance of multiple farmers to hit the panic button More good news came in an updated forecast from the U S Department of Agriculture on Monday that projected higher corn exports and only slightly lower corn prices The assessment also predicted somewhat lower soybean exports but higher domestic consumption resulting in higher prices Soybean futures surged After he finished planting his soybean crop on Monday Glessing declared he was excited by the news and hopes to see more progress But he reported he wasn t really surprised Tariffs weather and other uncertainty On a bright sunny day last week as he began planting soybeans Glessing announced tariffs were only one of the things he s worried about and not necessarily the biggest Farming after all is an enterprise built on loose soil the whims of weather and other uncontrollable factors Am I concerned about tariffs Yeah I mean there s uncertainty that comes with that Glessing commented Is that the number one driving factor in these poor commodity prices the last two years No Soybeans are planted on Thursday May near Waverly Minn AP Photo Mark Vancleave As he steered his -year-old Affair IH tractor over a gently rolling field near the town of Waverly he towed a planter that inserted his seeds through the stubble of last year s corn crop As he laid down the long rows he rumbled past a pond where wild swans paddled about Riding shotgun was Georgie the Corgi who alternated between roaming around his cab and half-dozing at his feet Perhaps more skeptical than Glessing is Matt Griggs one of various soybean farmers in Tennessee paying close attention to the agreement war On Monday he explained the ripple effects on farmers might still be coming We re only on a -day pause Griggs revealed Who knows what is going to come after that In this image from video Matt Griggs fills up his tractor with fuel on Monday May at his farm in Humboldt Tenn Griggs like a large number of American farmers is paying close attention to the arrangement war between the U S and China a critical field for soybeans AP photo Kristin M Hall Joe Janzen an agricultural economist at the University of Illinois disclosed the commodity markets have largely shaken off the initial shock of the commerce war including Trumps declaration of April as Liberation Day when he informed stiff worldwide tariffs Our markets have largely rebounded and are back where we were around April Second Janzen mentioned Tariffs have not had a major impact on prices yet Even something that might seem like good news ideal planting conditions across much of the Midwest has its downside The probable for bigger crops sent prices downward Glessing noted High interest rates seed and fertilizer costs pose additional challenges There s so several other factors besides just tariffs and my industry price Glessing disclosed Looking for signs of progress But Glessing declared he was encouraged by that morning s news of a agreement deal with the United Kingdom and announced he hopes the current uncertainty in talks with China and other countries ultimately leads to better bargain deals going forward Related Articles Trump says he will ease sanctions on Syria moves to restore relations with new leader FDA and RFK Jr aim to remove fluoride supplements used to protect kids teeth Harvard loses another million in grants in escalating battle with Trump administration Nodule ascertained in former President Joe Biden s prostate during routine physical exam Trump bargain war faces legal challenge as businesses states argue his tariffs exceeded his power Glessing had finished planting his corn the day before on the other half of a field that he rents from his father s cousin split between acres of corn and acres of beans It s at the farm where his grandfather grew up and it s part of the approximately acres he plants on average He locked in those planting decisions months earlier as he made deals for seeds fertilizer and other supplies Back on his home farm closer to Waverly where his late grandfather s house made of local brick still stands and a cacophony of house sparrow songs filled the air Glessing was pleased to spot the first signs of corn he had planted there about days earlier poking above the soil Waverly is about an hour west of Minneapolis Its majority of famous resident was Democratic former Vice President Hubert Humphrey It s in the congressional district represented by Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer Glessing s post as president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau puts him in close touch with other influential politicians too He and his wife Seena were Democratic Sen Amy Klobuchar s guests at the Capitol for Trump s inauguration in January Glessing declined to say who he voted for The Glessings have three kids milk about dairy cows and grow corn soybeans and alfalfa on a combination of parcels they own or rent He uses the alfalfa and corn primarily to feed his cows He sells his soybeans to a processing plant in Mankato where particular of them become soybean meal he adds to his animal feed The milk from his cows goes to a co-op cheese plant in Litchfield that sells internationally Because Glessing has local buyers locked in and doesn t directly export his crops he s partially cushioned from the volatility of world markets But he s quick to point out that everything in the agricultural financial system is interconnected Lessons learned during Trump s first exchange war On his farm near Humboldt Tennessee roughly midway between Memphis and Nashville Griggs weathered the contract war during Trump s first term and revealed he feels more prepared this time around Back in prices were about the same as what they are now and due to the commerce war with China prices dropped around he commented They dropped significantly lower and they dropped in a hurry and due to that we lost a lot of demand from China In this image from video provided by Matt Griggs a tractor plants seeds in the ground on April on the farm of Matt Griggs in Humboldt Tenn Griggs like multiple American farmers is paying close attention to the transaction war between the U S and China a critical region for soybeans Matt Griggs via AP Griggs stated exports to China never fully rebounded But he doesn t think the impact of the current dispute will be nearly as drastic Griggs who raises approximately acres of cotton corn soybeans and wheat mentioned tariffs were just one consideration as he planned out this year s crops Growing a variety of crops helps him minimize the threat that comes with weather volatile prices and now the prospect of a contract war Griggs reported he s going to be watching for opportunities to sell when territory volatility causes upticks in prices The main thing I learned in was that if you do have a price period where prices have risen various go ahead and take advantage of it instead of waiting for it to go higher mentioned Griggs Because when it comes to the tariffs and everything the markets can be very unpredictable So my lesson learned was Don t hold out for a home run be satisfied with a double He explained a temporary subsidy called the Domain Facilitation Venture helped soybean farmers withstand selected of the losses last time could help if something similar is revived this year But he revealed no farmer wants to make a living off cabinet subsidies We just want fair access to markets Griggs commented And a fair price for the products we produce AP videographer Kristin M Hall revealed from Humboldt Tennessee AP videographer Mark Vancleave also contributed from Waverly