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Iowa ag leader has mixed feelings on China trade dispute

Like many farmers, Bill Shipley of Nodaway, Iowa expresses mixed feelings about the trade dispute with China.

On the one hand, Shipley says there are many long-running trade issues with China that needed to be addressed.

“I agree that we need to take on the inequality of trade we have with China—and I think most farmers do,” Shipley says. “We just want a free and open, level market—and they don’t want to do that. They want everything in their favor.”

But that resolve to fix trade issues starts to waver as soybean prices continue to decline. Shipley says his local cash price for soybeans is now more than a dollar under his cost of production, assuming average yields.

“That doesn’t bode well for what my banker thinks, or anybody else,” he says. “I’m going to have to eat into equity to stay alive—to stay in farming.”

Shipley, who serves as president of the Iowa Soybean Association, is hopeful the two countries can find a resolution to the trade dispute before additional tariffs go into effect July 6th.

“Hopefully they get this resolved and they get back to being a good customer of ours.”

Dennis Morrice, KLEM Radio, Le Mars, Iowa contributed to this story.

AUDIO: Bill Shipley