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 agreement wars Farm country voted heavily for Trump last November Now Glessing and plenty of 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 several 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 document 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 commented he was excited by the news and hopes to see more progress But he stated he wasn t really surprised Tariffs weather and other uncertainty On a bright sunny day last week as he began planting soybeans Glessing mentioned 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 noted 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 Incident 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 a multitude of soybean farmers in Tennessee paying close attention to the deal war On Monday he reported the ripple effects on farmers might still be coming We re only on a -day pause Griggs declared 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 great number of American farmers is paying close attention to the business war between the U S and China a critical industry for soybeans AP photo Kristin M Hall Joe Janzen an agricultural economist at the University of Illinois revealed the commodity markets have largely shaken off the initial shock of the transaction war including Trumps declaration of April as Liberation Day when he publicized stiff worldwide tariffs Our markets have largely rebounded and are back where we were around April Second Janzen disclosed 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 anticipated for bigger crops sent prices downward Glessing noted High interest rates seed and fertilizer costs pose additional challenges There s so multiple other factors besides just tariffs and my arena price Glessing stated Looking for signs of progress But Glessing declared he was encouraged by that morning s news of a commerce deal with the United Kingdom and noted he hopes the current uncertainty in talks with China and other countries ultimately leads to better business 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 determined in former President Joe Biden s prostate during routine physical exam Trump transaction 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 the majority 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 a few 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 market system is interconnected Lessons learned during Trump s first transaction war On his farm near Humboldt Tennessee roughly midway between Memphis and Nashville Griggs weathered the agreement war during Trump s first term and announced he feels more prepared this time around Back in prices were about the same as what they are now and due to the arrangement war with China prices dropped around he reported 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 a great number of American farmers is paying close attention to the deal war between the U S and China a critical field for soybeans Matt Griggs via AP Griggs commented 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 disclosed tariffs were just one consideration as he planned out this year s crops Growing a variety of crops helps him minimize the menace that comes with weather volatile prices and now the prospect of a bargain war Griggs explained he s going to be watching for opportunities to sell when region volatility causes upticks in prices The main thing I learned in was that if you do have a price period where prices have risen a few go ahead and take advantage of it instead of waiting for it to go higher declared 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 stated a temporary subsidy called the Territory Facilitation Scheme helped soybean farmers withstand specific of the losses last time could help if something similar is revived this year But he disclosed no farmer wants to make a living off regime subsidies We just want fair access to markets Griggs mentioned And a fair price for the products we produce AP videographer Kristin M Hall informed from Humboldt Tennessee AP videographer Mark Vancleave also contributed from Waverly