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Apr 25, 2019
ASA Chairman John Heisdorffer (second from left) talks tariff impact on soy growers during a panel this week. Photo Credit: Joseph L. Murphy/Iowa Soybean Association
During a town hall this week, ASA Chairman John Heisdorffer, an Iowa soybean grower, spoke about the impact tariffs have had on growers across the country.
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, and Kinze Manufacturing hosted the event in Williamsburg, Iowa on Wednesday—featuring a discussion between U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), local businesses and farmers on the impact of tariffs on the state’s economy. In attendance were Iowa equipment manufacturers, farmers, small business owners, and other supporters of free and fair trade.
The conversation focused on the impact of steel and aluminum tariffs on Iowa businesses and the state’s economy, as well as the impact of tariffs on China and retaliatory tariffs that have been levied on almost all U.S. agricultural food exports.
“We’ll never get 100 percent of our exports back from our number one customer,” Heisdorffer said during the panel, adding that while U.S. soy growers wait for the tariffs to be rescinded—Brazil is more than happy to pick up the soybean export slack.
“We’ve got some real competition out there,” he added.
ASA continues to reiterate to the Administration that U.S. soy farmers prosper when they have access to international markets and rescinding the tariffs is critical to the U.S. farm economy and American farm families.
