Reality of China Trade Tensions Demands Strong Plan to Protect Family Farmers and Ranchers, NFU Says

 

President Donald Trump today announced that his administration will impose 25 percent tariffs on Chinese technology imports to the tune of $50 billion. The first round of tariffs, worth $34 billion, are set to take effect on July 6.

 

National Farmers Union, a family farm organization in support of strong trade enforcement, called on the administration to work with Congress to ensure family farmers do not bear the brunt of retaliation that is sure to follow the tariff actions. Secretary Perdue should work with congressional leadership and agriculture committees to craft a farm bill that protects against market volatility and severe price swings, according to NFU President Roger Johnson.

 

Johnson issued the following statement:

 

“Farmers Union fully supports strong trade enforcement to achieve fair and balanced trade markets. We also support the administration’s goal of reducing the enormous U.S. trade deficit. But our organization grows increasingly concerned that this administration does not have a plan to ensure family farmers and ranchers aren’t thrown under the bus for the sake of these goals.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.