Statement on Latest Trade War Retaliation and Impact on Farmers

Aug 26, 2019

Today, Farmers for Free Trade, the bipartisan coalition supported by America's leading ag commodity associations, released the following statement on the impact of the latest round of trade war retaliation on America's farmers.

“For American farmers, every week the trade war pain gets compounded. This latest escalation means even higher barriers into a market that not long ago was our second largest ag export destination. The rapid evaporation of the Chinese market has for the first time in over four decades brought us to the brink of losing our agriculture trade surplus with the rest of the world. While American farmers are on the sidelines, farmers in Brazil, Canada and Russia are reaping the benefits of the administration’s trade policy decisions.

“The view from much of farm country is bleak and anger is boiling over. With bankruptcies and delinquencies rising and prices falling, the frustration with the lack of progress toward a deal is growing. Farmers want a win, not a war."

Source: Farmers for Free Trade

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.