How Minnesota farmers are coping with a trade war and a government shut down
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The fall harvest is wrapping up across Minnesota. But will farmers turn a profit?
Following a meeting Thursday between President Trump and China’s president Xi Jinping, there is hope that China will resume buying at least some soybeans and other export crops from the U.S.
But Minnesota farmers are still suffering from the fallout of the trade war. They’re also grappling with inflation, tighter credit and increasingly unpredictable weather. And, the federal government shutdown has slowed access to farm loans, crop insurance, disaster aid and other programs.
MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks with a farmer and Minnesota’s agricultural commissioner about these challenges and what’s next.
Guests:
Thom Petersen is agriculture commissioner for the state of Minnesota. He lives in Royalton Township near Pine City on a horse farm. He previously worked as the director of government relations at Minnesota Farmers Union.
Neil Rockstad farms in the Red River Valley in northwest Minnesota. He is president of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association. He and his wife Elizabeth grow sugar beets, soybeans, corn and wheat near Ada, Minn.
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