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Risk analyst says trade war could not come at worse time for farmers

The director of risk consulting services for CHS Hedging says the trade war could not come at a worse time for farmers.

Kent Beadle tells Brownfield farm incomes have followed commodity prices down the last four years.

“For many farmers, the contract highs themselves have been little more than break-even at best.  And nobody wants to farm to break even.  So these trade wars are coming at a tough time.”

Speaking to Brownfield at Farmfest in southwest Minnesota, he says the Trump Administration needs to figure out a solution to the trade dispute with China.

“We understand the many facets of the issue and the fact that there is an objective here.  And that objective might be for the good of the country.  But right now the weight of all this is falling on agricultural producers.”

Beadle says CHS farmer-members are being significantly harmed by tariff retaliation from China.