Mike Naig discusses ag economy: Secretary of agriculture visits Unverferth

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig toured Unverferth Manufacturing in rural Shell Rock on Wednesday, July 11, and following the visit took a few moments to speak with the press regarding the agricultural economy in Iowa.
     Trade wars and the uncertainty surrounding them are a major concern for farmers, but Naig senses optimism and hope for better things to come.
     “What I pick up here from folks is a willingness to let this run a little to see if the President’s strategy will bring results,” Naig said.
     On July 6, the United States levied tariffs of 25 percent on $34 billion of Chinese imports. China retaliated immediately with an equivalent 25 percent tariff on $34 billion in American imports. Soybeans slid to a ten-year low at $8.55 per bushel on Wednesday, the day of Naig’s visit. Soybeans are the second largest financially important crop in the United States according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, second only to corn.
 
Read more in the July 19 edition of the STAR.