US ag exports ‘on the right track,’ trade rep says, but farmers still wary

The ag sector has been under pressure from lost exports and higher farm operating costs, prompting the Trump administration to offer assistance payments to help farmers stay in business.

“I think, as we move forward, really addressing some of the uncertainty that persists in our markets is really important, and making sure that we have stable trade relationships is key,” said Matt Perdue, president of the North Dakota Farmers Union.

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Perdue, who farms with his family in northwest North Dakota, said Trump trade policies have affected North Dakota farmers beyond ag markets. He said farmers in his area have had more difficulty getting steel grain bins and parts to repair equipment that come from Canada. 

Callahan and Fedorchak pointed to 10 trade agreements reached under the Trump administration and others still to be finalized as signs that some of the market access lost in trade wars with China and other countries is coming back. 

“I’m not going to rest until we have an ag trade surplus with the world, and we’re really on the right track,” Callahan said. 

Callahan said the U.S. is “serious about enforcing” commitments from China to buy U.S. soybeans. 

Brent Kohls, a representative of the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association, said after the meeting that he has seen improvement from the early days of Trump’s second term 

“It was kind of shock and awe right away,” he said. But the soybean market has improved in recent weeks. 

North Dakota relies on soybeans exports through the Pacific Northwest with China as the main market.

“The conversation today versus a year ago is a whole lot different with China, and for the better,” he said. 

But he said he is not certain the roller-coaster ride the ag industry has been on is over yet, with uncertainty on the costs of farm needs such as fertilizer and fuel and whether trade agreements will last.  

“We’re hanging on. We haven’t taken our seat belt off,” said Kohls, who farms south of Mayville. 

Beef producer Lacey Grann Wirth, representing the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association, asked why the U.S. was not putting tariffs on beef imports from Brazil. 

Callahan said that was a decision by President Donald Trump as a way to address affordability of beef for U.S. consumers. 

Grann Wirth, a beef producer near Sheyenne, has a problem with that. “It takes away the value of our own products,” she said. 

Fedorchak noted that beef is one of the bright spots in the U.S. ag industry, with consumer demand still high despite inflated prices. She said the U.S. should be trying to expand its beef industry, which has been affected by drought in key states over several years. 

“From the producer’s standpoint, anything we do as a country to incentivize others to come into the market to lower prices takes away the incentive for people to get into that industry here,” Fedorchak said. 

Callahan’s visit also included a trip to a honey farm and a tour of the state-owned North Dakota Mill and Elevator. 

Reach North Dakota Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach at jbeach@northdakotamonitor.com

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