Trump Administration announces $12 billion aid for Farmers Hit by trade war

PENDER COUNTY (WWAY) — Don Rawls is a fourth-generation soybean farmer in the heart of rural Pender County who has been feeling the effects of the trade war between the US and China.  

“It’s caused our soybean market to, the price to go down, and it’s gone below the price of break even,” says Rawls. 

Messages from farmers like Rawls got to President Trump who announced a $12 million dollar aid package. 

“This relief will provide much needed certainty to farmers as they get this year’s harvest to market and look ahead to next year’s crops and will help them continue their efforts to lower food prices for American families,” said President Trump. 

Farmers like Rawls need loans to cover massive operating expenses.  

He’s not profitable right now but thinks the Trump bailout will hold him and other farmers over until next planting season. 

“To help farmers so they can continue to farm again until we rebuild our rural markets and we’re selling at a profit because when you’re getting these kinds of payments, there’s not a lot of profit there, and we need quite a bit of increase in the price of our grains and our soybeans moving forward,” said Rawls. 

Tariffs have not only limited access to the massive Chinese market, but they’ve increased the cost of equipment, seeds, and fertilizer.  

 At the same time, Rawls’ crop prices have dropped. 

These economics put a strain on farmers like Rawls, who says this is a pricey vocation. 

“There’s a lot more money, it would take a lot, the cost of production is way higher than people think of what it cost to produce a crop,” said Rawls. 

While he’s thankful for the government’s handout, Rawls would rather have free trade, not aid. 

So, what’s a solution?   

Charles Hall of the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association says they’re looking for new markets and new uses for soybeans. 

“Developing markets, alternative markets, new markets, so that we, we’re more diversified in where we’re sending our product. I mean look, we’ve invested in renewable energy production, we’ve invested in using soy in industrial products, we’ve been out with rural fire departments recently, there’s a firefighting foam that is made with soy,” said Hall.