US farmers reap bitter harvest of US-China trade war
Adjusting to sanctions by switching crops has only resulted in disaster for many — and 2020 looks just as bleak
04 January 2020 - 10:10
Chicago/Dimmitt — Across snow-covered North Dakota, US farmers are stuck with fields full of weather-damaged corn — a crop they planted after the US-China trade war killed their soya bean market. Many don’t know yet what crops they’ll plant next season among a host of dicey options.
In Texas, Kansas and Colorado, farmers are weighing whether they should plant fewer hectares of corn and more sorghum, even though China has all but stopped buying it. That’s because sorghum costs about half as much as corn to plant, which appeals to farmers wary of investing too much for an uncertain return...
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