Up to Their Waists in Water, U.S. Farmers Face Crucial Decisions
- Floods may force more planting of soybeans caught in trade war
- Corn’s appeal has eroded slightly as price ratio narrows
Floodwaters surround corn sitting under a collapsed grain bins in this aerial photograph over Pacific Junction, Iowa, U.S., on Saturday, March 23.
Photographer: Daniel Acker/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
For American farmers already struggling to navigate the U.S.-China trade war, optimism for the spring planting season is washing away.
Floods from the Mississippi Delta to the Dakotas have inundated roads and submerged fields just as Midwestern farmers should be preparing the soil to sow this year’s seeds. If land is inaccessible much longer, growers will be forced to shift their planting decisions -- likely leading to more soybeans, the crop hit hardest by a drop in Chinese demand.