Soybean farmers travel to Washington to discuss trade deals

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - Several Minnesota farmers traveled to the capitol, lobbying for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and other possible trade agreement resolutions.

Minnesota District 1 Representative Jim Hagedorn met with local soybean farmers to get a better scope of the slow agricultural year in Minnesota.

Minnesota’s largest buyer of soybeans is China according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Farmers in the state have been dealt two separate buyouts from the Trump administration to compensate for lost revenue due to the ongoing tariff battle with China. Hagedorn claims the current situation is cyclical and not a result of policy.

“You’ve gotta remember in agriculture, the median farming income had been dropping for about four years before the president took office, that’s the first thing to consider. It wasn’t good for agriculture for about four years during the Obama administration. I’m not blaming him, it’s agriculture, you know, it’s a cycle, it goes up and down and up and down,” says Hagedorn.

The traveling farmers say that getting out on the field in the morning is worth it to see the end result.

“Farmers in general, you know you have a crop that you plant, that you are constantly tending for their crop. That’s the great thing about American farmers, they take a lot of pride and passion in their farm. It’s not just an 8 hour day,” says Darin Johnson, a fourth generation farmer.

Hagedorn also added in his meeting with the farmers that he is prioritizing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and also hopes to get a deal done with China soon.