Trade war: Mexico pork tariff threats push Iowa losses to $560 million

[workinclasszero]

Donnelle Eller, [e-mail] Published 12:22 p.m. CT June 1, 2018

Iowa pork producers already dealing with a 25 percent tariff on U.S. pork exports to China could face another trade hit, with Mexico considering a 20 percent tariff on hams and pork shoulders.

Growing trade worries have cut pork prices in recent weeks, costing Iowa producers about $560 million, said Dermot Hayes, an Iowa State University economist.

Mexico is the largest export market for U.S. pork, based on volume.

Mexico bought $1.5 billion of U.S. pork last year, followed by China-Hong Kong at nearly $1.1 billion.

The tariffs are "potentially devastating news for Iowa’s pig farmers and the rural Iowa economy," said Gregg Hora, president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2018/06/01/mexico-pork-tariff-trade-war-threats-iowa-producer-losses-trump-steel-canada-china-exports-ham/663212002/

[bearsfootball516]

1. They'll still vote for him as he destroys their lives, because he OWNS THE LIBS!!!

[workinclasszero]

4. Most likely

Fox "news" and Hannity will tell them its all a plot by the deep state/Obama/Hillary/Gays/PoC/godless commies/Mexican rapists etc

And the sheep will buy it over and over till the day they die under an overpass somewhere.

[Kittycow]

2. Look for trump to do a farmers bail-out, I bet.

I happened to run across the linked story this morning and there was a related story about how the USDA bought surplus cheese back in the day. But even a bail-out wouldn't cover all the losses due to trump's trade war.

[Wellstone ruled]

5. To the tune of 30 Billion,

just one of the reasons the Farm Bill crashed.

[BootinUp]

3. Eat it Trumpeters. Nt

[Frustratedlady]

6. Add to that the crop tariffs. Soybeans, for one.

And, he announced that just as they were starting to plant. Did they switch from soybeans to something else? Usually, they rotate w/another crop. All I've seen in fields is corn, which means the price of corn will be lower.

He doesn't realize how many ways this affects people when he makes these snap decisions, and the people heading the departments don't know from Jack what they are doing. Is this Wilbur Ross? I saw him the other day and he could hardly form a sentence.

[tazkcmo]

8. They don't care.

It's not his fault. No matter what he does, it's not his fault. Somehow, some way, somewhere there's a libtard behind anything bad. Always.

[lunasun]

7. Don't Iowa also pass the most restrictive abortion law recently ? Iowa not having a good year

[rurallib]

11. yes - judge just put it on hold while it is in court.

[47of74]

15. Yeah it's to the point that I'm about to leave.

[lapfog_1]

9. all mexico has to do to kill Iowa farmers

is stop importing corn.

[Kittycow]

10. That's something to watch for.

I've been trying to keep track of what's happening to farmers and searching for the unicorn who won't vote for trump again.

[rurallib]

12. Mexico recently signed a trade agreement with the EU

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/eu-and-mexico-agree-new-free-trade-pact-1.3470042

I don't see it in this article, but one of the drivers for Mexico in signing this deal was to get away from near total dependence on the US for corn which is a staple of the Mexican diet.

The US was not very happy when this agreement was signed.

One of the reasons that Mexico is so dependent on US corn is that when NAFTA went in corn from the US could be sent to Mexico and sell much more cheaply than farms in Mexico could produce it.
This lead many farmers in Mexico to lose their farms. Many then emigrated to the US to find work. Thus the so-called "immigration crisis."

[lunasun]

14. NAFTA and cheap Iowa corn destroyed a lot of Mexican farmers . One of the reasons people are

desperate there and coming here . ....for some ,...it's not for some American dream as much as it's for survival
So many in the US don't seem to get what was done to the Mexican corn industry with NAFTA or the influx of immigrants and corporations call the shots on imports there just like here with manufacturing so the cheap Iowa corn benefitted the bottom line just like China here has become the best choice for money makers

http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/09/news/economy/nafta-farming-mexico-us-corn-jobs/index.html
"Before NAFTA, everybody here grew corn. People didn't make much money, but nobody went hungry," says Mendoza, 23, sharing common lore from her region. She was born just after NAFTA was signed.
As cheap American corn came pouring in from the border, it had a devastating effect on her family. Her father, Benancio Mendoza, couldn't compete and make a living wage selling corn. He had to give up and move to the United States looking for a job. He took up a job as a cook in Tennessee, saving up money to send home so his kids could attend school.

[47of74]

13. No sympathy from me.

I know this doesn't make me look the best, but these Iowan Branch Trumpvidians who voted for that orange son of a bitch can go fornicate themselves. They allowed their urges to have a racist, Islamaphobic, homophobic pig in office override any good sense they had so they can fornicating well live with the consequences now.

[slumcamper]

16. KARMA

You expressed quite well what I've been feeling about these low information, right-leaning slaves of corporate agriculture who are marching lock-step to the exhortations of Big Ag. How odd that 3 generations ago Iowa's rural farmers were once a fiercely independent, powerful progressive voice and a political force to be reckoned with.

Farm Bureau, Pork Producers Assoc., Cattleman's Assoc., Soybean Assoc., Corn Growers Assoc. (hell, toss in the NRA)--all their "men's clubs" (corporate tools) are conservative organs coaxing them to the polls to vote red and ensure their own self-destruction, children, grandchildren, and communities.