The Trump Administration has announced details to its agriculture mitigation program. The move is a reaction to what the White House says is “unjustified retaliation by foreign nations," and is meant to offset financial losses for producers who depend on global exports.
After the escalating trade war with China made headlines this summer, officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture heard from American farmers worried about their bottom line. Here’s USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue in a video released by his office:
The department plans to purchase up to $1.2 billion in commodities, which will then be used in federal food assistance programs.
Three of the products the program addresses are important to Idaho’s agricultural economy: potatoes, wheat and dairy. According to the Idaho Department of Agriculture’s stats, just 8 percent of the state’s exports go to China – as whey protein, milk powders, alfalfa hay and processed potatoes. Canada and Mexico buy 23 and 24 percent, respectively.
Find reporter Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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