Mississippi River Shipping Water and Trump Defends Chinese Ag Land Purchases
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**Low water levels on the Mississippi River are increasing transportation costs for American farmers as drought conditions continue to disrupt barge traffic along one of the nation’s most important agricultural shipping routes.
Freight rates from St. Louis rose roughly 77% above the three-year average during recent low-water periods, increasing costs for shipping to Gulf Coast export terminals.
Nearly half of all U.S. grain exports travel through the Mississippi River system.
**President Trump is defending Chinese purchases of U.S. farmland during his visit to Beijing.
Speaking with Fox News, Trump said removing Chinese buyers from the market would negatively impact farm real estate prices.
The comments marked a notable shift from Trump’s earlier hardline position on Chinese ownership of U.S. agricultural land and drew renewed attention from farmers and national security advocates concerned about foreign investment in farmland near military installations.
**Recent studies by North Dakota State University revealed that U.S. tariffs and resulting retaliatory actions are driving significant economic losses for American agriculture, heavily impacting exports and raising farming costs.
The study found retaliatory tariffs from China caused roughly $15 billion in annual losses for American
agricultural exports.
China’s embargo on U.S. soybeans alone accounts for almost half the total.
It’s also caused significant damage to beef, poultry, and cotton exports.
