Episode 250: Consequences for Ag as Trade Deadline Looms

The 90-day window that the Trump Administration created in order to negotiate new trade deals with over 200 countries comes to a close on July 9th. The goal for this time period was to create pressure and opportunities for America’s many and diverse trading partners to come to the table, propose strategies to reduce trade deficits, and offer more favorable treatment for American businesses and products. So far, the Trump administration has few signed agreements in hand, and seems ready to reimpose drastic tariff costs on those unwilling to meet those demands. As all of this unfolds, American agriculture waits in the wings to see how negotiations fair, bracing for possible retaliation after the dust settles. Today, Urban Lehner, former DTN editor-in-chief and current author of the Progressive Farmer blog An Urban’s Rural View, joins us to take a deep dive into the current lay of the land in the tariff world, and to offer his perspective on what might be ahead, and which eventualities would prove most lucrative for agriculture.We’ll dig into the details you might have missed on the current situation with China, hear about the trade deals that have been confirmed, and consider what might be ahead around interest rates, inflation, and other ag policy issues as a quiet three months comes to an end. Finally, we’ll hear about the potential impacts of the Nippon Steel deal on U.S. agriculture, and learn what other stories Urban is keeping an eye on.