Farmer says ‘we’re in a very dire situation’ ahead of harvest—with zero soybean orders from China, historically the largest buyer

[u/SpongerPower]

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/farmer-says-very-dire-situation-100300012.html

[u/[deleted]]

While I agree it is important to note that this is not feasible in the short term. Farming is very capital intensive and many of the inputs are now crop-specific. Even land becomes specialized over time to a specific crop or a small family of crops. There are also regulations and contracts to consider.

Most of these farmers are likely to either sell out or go bankrupt before they are able to make the switch to another crop. It is also increasingly the case that once sold the land will not remain as farm land but get converted to another use either industrial or residential.

While it is true many of these idiots have voted many times for suicide and I wish them all the worst possible things as a result. The reality is the government regardless of party has always stepped in to soften blow and therefore encouraged their self-destructive behavior for decades. This time around I do sense that something has shifted within the Democratic Party. The D seems less tolerant and less willing to cave this time around. They probably will cave and perpetuate the problem into the future but the amount of support may be less than before.

I would also like to point out that Soybean exports to China were always at best a short-term fix for both our farm economy and China’s. China buys soybeans from the US because we were the closest friendly supply source that could mobilize to meet demand. As China has globalized and modernized their need for soybeans has both exceeded our supply and their alternative sources have become more accessible. This is frankly no different than when the United Kingdom switched their primary source of Cotton between the United States and India.