Financial stress on Iowa farmers has been "severe and persistent," according to the Farm Bureau, with factors including high fertilizer costs and trade disputes with China contributing to ongoing financial stress.
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Two western Iowa lawmakers, both seeking statewide office, spoke to KMTV about whether the president's $12 billion assistance package will provide meaningful relief to struggling producers.
Billions in agricultural revenue were lost when China began purchasing soybeans from South America in retaliation for U.S. tariffs. According to the Cato Institute, many agricultural producers never fully recovered from the 2018 trade clash with China.
I asked Congressman Randy Feenstra: "Are we going to get farmers back up to where they're exporting as much as they were before 2018 or are we having to look for entirely new markets?"
Feenstra, a Republican who wants to be Iowa's next governor, expressed optimism: "I tell you what, it's exciting to see what's happening. I mean, China just came aboard and said they're going to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans. That dramatically increased the price and now we have to make sure they fulfill that," Feenstra said.
State Representative Josh Turek, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate, offered a different perspective.
"This is at best a band-aid and a short-term solution to this problem. The reality is our Iowa farmers are the very best in the world at what they do. They need markets. They don't need handouts and then don't need bailout and certainly not anywhere near what our farmers are looking at losing," Turek said.
The National Farmers Union says it appreciates the short-term help but is pushing Congress for long-term solutions to address the underlying challenges facing agricultural producers.
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