Drought, tariffs plague farmers
BY ALYSSA MEIER AND JILL DENNING GACKLE
BHG News
Area farmers are battling drought, lower commodity prices and tariffs.
That’s what Chris Gratton, CHS Inc. said about the harvest that was bringing a long line of grain trucks each day last week to the Garrison facility.
Small grains like spring wheat, barley and canola saw exceptional yields.
“It was some of the best quality we’ve seen,” he said. Although the spring wheat yields were 55-65 a bushel per acre and as high as 75 bushels an acre, prices were lower because the export market was more limited because of tariffs on Chinese exports. The trade battle continues with the European union, China, Canada, Mexico and other countries.
Soybeans and corn are victims on the trade battleground.
“We can’t ship to the West Coast like we normally do,” he said. North Dakota exports about two-thirds of its annual $2 billion soybean crop to China.
