CENTRAL TEXAS (KXXV) — There’s optimism circulating through Texas’ AG community for President Donald Trump’s international tariff plans, this as farmers and AG industry leaders here in the state and across the country are having conversations about a federal bailout for farmers.
“I think it’s likely to happen. I mean there’s going to be some heartburn — some setbacks at first, until we get this worked out," said Texas’ AG Commissioner Sid Miller.
He, as well as many others in Texas' AG community, have faith in President Trump’s tariff plans that were announced on Wednesday and feel confident tariffs are for the better of our country and international commerce.
"I just say hang on — be prepared for a little pain here for a few months maybe but times are going to get good," Miller said.
For those tough times, Commissioner Miller looks to President Trump’s first term in office when the President helped the AG community with $23B in aid.
“He’ll take the money that he collects from those tariffs and put it back into farmers hands to keep them in business" — “but the thing to keep in mind is long term, we made more money after Donald Trump won the tariff war than we’d ever made in agriculture prior. We had the best commodity prices. We had the most profits, life was good and then Biden came along and all that went away.”
Kevin Huffman is a third generational farmer working here in Central Texas whose crops, like wheat, could be found in goods that can be shipped domestically or globally.
He told 25News' Bobby Poitevint over the phone, that "we need to go through this” — referring to the additional tariffs and added this will help make more of a “fair" playing field across international commerce
“It couldn’t keep going like it was forever and so there needed to be some sort of correction for these very high tariffs" said John Miller whose company, Southwest Agribusiness Consulting Inc. — among other services — helps provides marketing plans for farmers and ranchers across the South-plains including Central Texas.
While he and others question the long-term impacts of these tariffs on the goods we export — he shared that the real idea that some countries could transition over to getting products from other countries than getting them from the U.S. however he believes a change was needed.
“A lot of our products and goods had anywhere from ten to fifty to hundred percent tariffs going into other countries" he added if hard times hit, he believes support will be available — "because a lot of people are looking out for agriculture.”
On the federal level, reports show that House Agriculture Committee chair Glenn Thompson hopes Congress won’t need to bail out farmers with an emergency aid.
He was quoted as saying:
“We'll be prepared to do that” again if needed.
We’ll continue to wait and see what comes in the following weeks and months.
You can read more from Commissioner Miller regarding recent tariffs by clicking here.
