John Tsitrian reads Senator Mike Rounds’s blah-be-de-blah about agriculture in his Sunday paper and says our junior Senator’s trope about overregulation and hope for higher commodity prices show a Republican playing dumb about the threat his own party is posing to South Dakota’s ag economy:
Having spent more than a decade in close contact with South Dakota’s grain and livestock producers as a broker and cattle feeder, I’d say the burden of regulations is meaningful enough, but not really the issue. EPA and USDA regulations can often be a pain, but those regulations didn’t cause the halving of corn and feeder cattle prices during the past few years. Rounds somewhat helplessly acknowledges that producers “may continue to see low commodity prices in 2017,” a likelihood borne out by prices in the futures markets. That’s a reflection of the lack of enthusiasm for the Trump administration and its political handmaidens, our Congressional trio of Rounds, Thune and Noem included. They’re mired in mixed signals about the future of corn-based ethanol, which uses about a third of our corn production. As to the outlook for exports, considering that Trump’s general approach to the growth of free trade has been negative, even brutal, American ag producers—who export about 20% of our total crop production—have good reason to be concerned [John Tsitrian, “Mike Rounds and the Mastery of Nothingness,” The Constant Commoner, 2017.04.02].
I continue to wonder at how Rounds and his Republicans, the purported party of personal responsibility, find ways to talk around their responsibility for the bad outlook for agriculture.
John T is one of the very few republican in this state that does not have a breathing problem when it comes to his take downs of our dummy congress critters. The vast majority of South Dakota republicans have their collective heads so far up their backsides that they do have that breathing problem. We should be hearing a thunderous pop as they start to pull their heads out and start to come to the realization that these three idiots are robbing their farms and ranches while they dither. The ag community needs to show they are smarter, but can they? Will their prejudice continue to lead them farther and farther into debt and despair? Time will tell.
Trump the great negotiator: “A top agricultural official from Argentina visited Mexico City last month to discuss the possibility of increasing sales of Argentine yellow corn to Mexico.” And U.S. dependency on Mexico for fresh produce has not been brought up, while Mexico looks to expand its European market.
Mexico Ready to Play the Corn Card in Trade Talks
Much of the corn Mexico consumes comes from the United States, potentially making it a useful lever in negotiations over Nafta.
NYTIMES.COM
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/02/world/americas/mexico-corn-nafta-trade.html?smid=fb-share
Gee whiz, which all the name calling and bullying shown by our fearless leader during the campaign, who would have thought that his schtick wouldn’t work on the world stage. (This would be a good place to stop and roll your eyes) This schmuck showed his true colors for months and S Dakotans bought it anyhow. Can’t sell our corn? LIVE WITH IT!
Good link, David! Tsitrian noted that NY Times article, too, showing that the threat made by a Mexican senator back in February is still in play.
Just how much damage will Trumpism have to do to South Dakota before Rounds turns his eyes from above to below and starts doing what’s in the best interest of South Dakota?
Rounds does what he gets told to do. Bet farmers can’t wait for 20% tax on Mexican goods entering the country.
Drumpf doesn’t pay attention to grumblings in congress about not funding Hatrian’s Wall. He pays no attention to the fact if we wall off the Rio Grande, Mexico gets all the water.
Then there is this Chinese company whose ancestors apparently helped build the Great Wall that Kristie likes having her selfie taken on. This outfit is conforming to all specs and claims that there will be sensors 8 feet off the ground that can detect human activity and will dump hot oil on anyone climbing the wall. I wonder if Geneva has something to say about that?