Do we get to bail out the soybean farmers now again? Create a problem, now pay money to fix it. The Trump way
Don’t forget hell blame the Dems for the govt expenditure later.
They won’t be able to downplay this at all either. People are going to find out exactly how many soybeans we export, how many soybeans China imports, and then add in the fact that we are the second highest exporter of it behind Brazil…who is a member of BRICS and trades with China easily. If they don’t manage to somehow reverse these tariffs…well, shit is gonna get real ugly for the farming industry.
This is less of a find out stage and more raging dumpster fire that was expected. Considering we pissed off every other country that might be willing to import them, the soybean farming industry is fucked.
because political reasons, this will call for more subsidies for farmers when it wasn’t needed, very efficient
How could Biden do this to us?
Oof, right in the soybeans! I could’ve sworn China already switched away from American soybeans during the trade war of trump’s first term.
Now we just need democrats in congress to block additional crop subsidies so the red state farmers suffer for voting orange. Oh wait, the farmers are dumb and will only understand that the democrats voted against their subsidy, not why it was needed in the first place.
Let’s please not buy soy from Brazil since they’re cutting down the Amazon for that.
To be clear, the vast majority of the soybeans produced in the Amazon (and elsewhere) go towards “livestock” feed, so buying edamame or tofu isn’t really contributing much (if at all) to Amazon destruction, Atlantic Forest destruction, Cerrado destruction, or any other soy-related destruction in Brazil.
But the Amazon doesn’t make money so it’s really just taking up space
If you think you can stop deforestation in the Amazon by not buying soybeans I have bad news for you. Not only because soybeans are grown everywhere in Brazil but also because there are multiple other reasons why deforestation happens, like illegal logging, mining and cattle raising.
Cow pasture accounts for about 80% of Amazon deforestation since 1970, but feedcrops like soya are still a significant contributor. Animal agriculture excluding cow pasture accounts for an additional 12% of deforestation, and part of that is soya monocultures. Perhaps the bigger problem with soya cultivation in the Amazon is the opportunity cost that is not apparent from the deforestation numbers: it is often grown on former pasture lands that could have otherwise reforested themselves.
That said, you’re right that not buying soybeans from Brazil would have little impact, as the vast majority of the soybeans produced in Brazil are fed to “livestock” animals.
