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Iowa farmer pleased with results of Phase One deal with China

Strong export demand from China has played a large part in commodity prices hitting highs not seen in almost a decade.

North Iowa corn and soybean farmer April Hemmes tells Brownfield she’s pleased with the results of Phase One.

“We need to hold China accountable for the trade deal, and they’ve done pretty good so far. Most farmers are really surprised they have bought as much as they have.”

She suggests negotiating with the Chinese is unlike any other U.S. trading partner.

“Everybody wants to find the new China (but) let’s face it, there’s not another China. When we had the tariffs, they were still our largest buyer. So we just can’t avoid them, but we have to have some kind of a fair playing field for everybody.”

The Hampton area farmer was recently appointed to a USDA Foreign Ag Services committee on trade and says she’s okay with the Biden administration taking its time evaluating the current agreement with China.