“How long can I hold out?” he asked. “I don’t know.”

[knapplc]

Nebraska's soybean farmers are featured in an LA Times article. Folks are getting a bit antsy about the trade war, and aren't taking the bait with Trump's bribe money.

 

Quote

 

In soybean country, Trump's trade war with China tests patience and nerves

 

Doug Saathoff, whose great-grandfather began farming around Trumbull, Neb., in the late 1800s, planted his first soybean in 1996 and hasn’t lost money since. Even droughts haven’t hurt because there’s plenty of underground water.

 

But that streak is in jeopardy, thanks to President Trump’s trade war with China, which has pummeled soybean exports and prices. Increasingly anxious about his family’s livelihood, the 44-year-old has taken small steps to save money, such as canceling satellite television and buying a used combine harvester* rather than a new one.

 

One thing hasn’t changed: his support for Trump, whom Saathoff credits for taking China to task for its unfair trading behavior. He and some of his fellow farmers are willing to give the president more time to win concessions, betting that Trump won’t let things get really bad for American soybean farmers, who export about one-fourth of their crops to the Chinese market. But he also warned that their patience won’t last forever.

 

“He’s probably the only president who knew soybean farmers exist,” said the soft-spoken Saathoff. “I don’t know if we’re ready to rebel or not. But let’s just get the trade policy done.”

 

Saathoff can wait it out for at least a few more months partly because he was able to sell some of his fall harvest in advance, before soybean prices dropped. The question is: Will he and other farmers stick with Trump when they really start to feel the pain?

 

The economics and attitudes in this corner of the Nebraska plains provide some clues. As in other parts of the nation’s farm belt, most of these farmers have voted Republican for generations. They’re highly unlikely to abandon the party in droves.

 

Even so, Trump’s trade policies have sparked tensions in farm communities, in some cases dividing fathers and sons. And many farmers are getting restless as harvest season nears.

 

 

 

* You can tell the reporter writes for a big-city newspaper. "Combine harvester?"  LOL

 

 

 

 

[NUance]

Quote

 the price for US soybeans in January was at $963 per bushel. Now, in July, soybean prices have slipped to $858 per bushel.  LINK

 

Not sure what the big deal is.  According to this article soybeans are bringing GREAT prices!  $858.   I might just become a soybean farmer.   lulz 

[Moiraine]

Irrigated Nebraska soy bean fields produced 68.5 bushels/acre last year and the avg family farm in the U.S. has 231 acres.

 

No idea what % of acres the average Nebraska family farmer uses for soybeans. But let’s pretend it’s 100.

 

100*($963-$858) = $10,500

[B.B. Hemingway]

22 minutes ago, NUance said:

 

Not sure what the big deal is.  According to this article soybeans are bringing GREAT prices!  $858.   I might just become a soybean farmer.   lulz 

 

I think somebody forgot the decimal points!

[NUance]

17 minutes ago, Moiraine said:

Irrigated Nebraska soy bean fields produced 68.5 bushels/acre last year and the avg family farm in the U.S. has 231 acres.

 

No idea what % of acres the average Nebraska family farmer uses for soybeans. But let’s pretend it’s 100.

 

100*($963-$858) = $10,500

 

I think the prices in that article are off by two orders of magnitude.  They should be $9.63 and $8.58 per bushel.  

[knapplc]

8 minutes ago, B.B. Hemingway said:

 

I think somebody forgot the decimal points!

 

I think they were distracted by the "combine harvester."

[Moiraine]

31 minutes ago, NUance said:

 

I think the prices in that article are off by two orders of magnitude.  They should be $9.63 and $8.58 per bushel.  

 

 

Ah, heh. Clearly I know a lot about farming too. I have about 30 farming relatives but they apparently didn’t affect me. 

 

And btw I don’t know how big a bushel is either. 

[knapplc]

18 minutes ago, Moiraine said:

And btw I don’t know how big a bushel is either. 

 

It's 1/4th of a peck.

 

It's four pecks.

Edited August 17, 2018 by knapplc
I worded it wrong

[Moiraine]

1 minute ago, knapplc said:

 

It's 1/4th of a peck.

 

 

That clears it up

[knapplc]

Oops. I worded that wrong. 

 

Four pecks make a bushel.

 

One peck is about eight quarts of dry measure.

 

A bushel is 32 dry quarts.

[GSG]

4 minutes ago, knapplc said:

Oops. I worded that wrong. 

 

Four pecks make a bushel.

 

One peck is about eight quarts of dry measure.

 

A bushel is 32 dry quarts.

 

How many ephahs is that?

 

 

[BigRedBuster]

Local soybean prices are 7.97. 

[NUance]

fwiw,  A bushel was historically a measure of volume equal to 2 kennings.   

But when they talk about a bushel of corn, nowadays it's actually a measure of weight.  A bushel of corn is 56 lbs of shelled no. 2 corn at 15.5% moisture.