TO THE RESCUE?

As aid checks go out, farmers worry bailout won’t be enough

WASHINGTON » Farmers across the United States will soon begin receiving government checks as part of a billion-dollar bailout to buoy growers experiencing financial strain from President Donald Trump’s trade disputes with China.

But even those poised for big payouts worry it won’t be enough. And while support for Trump is near unwavering in the heartland, some growers say that with the November election nearing, such disappointing aid outcomes could potentially affect their vote.

“It’s pretty obvious that the rural agriculture communities helped elect this administration, but the way things are going I believe farmers are going to have to vote with their checkbook when it comes time,” said Kevin Skunes, a corn and soybean grower from Arthur, North Dakota and president of the National Corn Growers Association.

Corn farmers get the smallest slice of the aid pie. Corn groups estimate a loss of 44 cents per bushel, but they’re poised to receive just a single penny per bushel.

“If these issues haven’t been resolved, there could be a change in the way farmers vote,” Skunes said. “A person has to consider all things.”

Farmers are already feeling the impact of Trump’s trade tiffs with China and other countries. China has hit back hard, responding with its own set of tariffs on U.S. agricultural products and other goods.

The Trump administration is providing up to $12 billion in emergency relief funds for American farmers, with roughly $6 billion in an initial round. The three-pronged plan includes $4.7 billion in payments to corn, cotton, soybean, dairy, pork and sorghum farmers. The rest is for developing new foreign markets for American-grown commodi-

AP PHOTO/MICHAEL CONROY Jack Maloney poses in front of the grain bins on his Little Ireland Farms in Brownsburg, Ind., on Wednesday. Maloney, who farms about 2,000 acres in Hendricks Count, said the aid for farmers is “a nice gesture” but what farmers really want is free trade, not government handouts. American farmers will soon begin getting checks from the government as part of a billion-dollar bailout to help those experiencing financial strain from President Donald Trump’s trade disputes with China.