The following statement may be attributed to Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President, Craig Hill:

“Iowa farmers are hopeful the $12 billion package of agricultural assistance announced today will help mitigate the financial effects the trade war has had on farmers and we look forward to learning more details about the package.

The bottom line is that farmers prefer trade over aid.  As the cost of running our farms continues to rise and global demand for Iowa’s agricultural products continues to grow, farmers prefer access to global markets for their products over temporary aid. 

We continue to encourage the administration to end this trade war, and the clear preference for farmers is negotiating new trade agreements where we can grow demand for American-grown food, fiber and energy and have free access to markets, unencumbered by tariffs.”