U.S. Farmers to Push Ahead with Plantings

Farmers in the U.S. stated that they would still go through with plantings planned even before the U.S.-China trade tensions eased. Now that the two countries have resumed talks, take a wait-and-see approach to U.S. President Donald Trump’s promises for more sales to China.

The two largest economies in the world pledged last weekend, to keep talking on how China could import more energy and agricultural commodities from the U.S. to narrow a $335 billion annual U.S. goods and services trade deficit with Beijing.

Meanwhile, the deal came after President Trump threatened to impose $150 billion in punitive tariffs to lessen the trade deficit and combat which he calls the misappropriation of U.S. technology.

China has also threatened equal retaliation, such as tariffs on some of its largest U.S. imports like soybeans and other agricultural commodities.

However, the reluctance of some farmers to adjust their planting plans in light of the newest agreements which show that they are uncertain about the result. For some, this is also a little too late to change their minds after purchasing seed, fertilizer, and farm chemicals.

“We're so far along in our planting season that we can't change anything,” a farmer in Illinois stated.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as of last Sunday, farmers had already planted 81 percent of the U.S. corn crop, 56 percent of the country’s soybeans, and 36 percent of soghum, which is a grain used for livestock feed.

“Until we see some hard evidence that some major concessions have been made or whatnot, we're kind of taking a wait-and-see approach,” the farmer added. “We just kind of understand this is politics in play.”

The United States has appeared to win the promises of more imports by China, though there were some few specifics on Monday.

Farmers, on the other hand, stated that they wanted more details about the matter.

“The news is encouraging, but a lot of us on the farm would like to hear some contracted sales that have been placed,” a soybean farmer from North Dakota said.

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