House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson Archives

China trade war escalates, Missouri congressman says “its time to bring this tariff thing to a conclusion”

August 23, 2019 By Ashley Byrd

In the latest volley in the U.S. vs. China trade war, China retaliated Friday morning with higher export charges on American goods and agricultural products. Then Trump responded in a tweet late Friday afternoon: “China should not have put new Tariffs on 75 BILLION DOLLARS of United States product (politically motivated!) Starting on October 1st, the 250 BILLION DOLLARS of goods and products from China, currently being taxed at 25%, will be taxed at 30%…”

Missouri’s 7th District Congressman Billy Long, a Trump ally, reacted to the news in Springfield today, “I think it’s time to bring this tariff thing to a conclusion. I’ve been giving the president benefit of the doubt on this, the farmers have too,” he told Brownfield Ag News.

Long was in his district with U.S. House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson, D-MN, as part of a two-day trip to Missouri to meet with members of Congress and their farm constituents. Peterson also met with Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-4th, and Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, D-5th.

Chairman Peterson and Rep. Cleaver take tough questions from farmers at the Odessa Community Center

Peterson and Cleaver met with local farmers in a community center in Odessa Thursday to talk about rural broadband needs, federal disaster payments — and the trade war.

“There are people that will win in the China deal; their just not us. It’s the intellectual property, some of these other areas, autos, they’re the ones that will win if we ever get a resolution of the Chinese situation. Agriculture–I don’t see any upside for us,” Peterson told about 50 farmers.

Peterson, a career farmer, says his district has been hit hard in pork and soybeans.

“As of now, they are able to buy all the pork they need from the Netherlands, and from Brazil and other places and they haven’t had to buy from us. Our guys are dying on the vine. The soybean sales have dried up not only because of tariffs but because the market’s dried up in Asia,” he said.

He says trade issues with China could have been dealt with before that country became a member of the World Trade Organization. Peterson says he voted against that. Now he says, he would handle the situation by taking China to the WTO court.

“You’re going to get more good out of that than you are out of these tariffs, ” he told Brownfield Friday in Springfield.

Missouri Congressman Long and House Agriculture Committee chair to tour Ozarks (AUDIO)

August 19, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A southwest Missouri GOP congressman is bringing in a key Democrat on Capitol Hill for this week’s farm tour across the Ozarks.

U.S. Rep. Billy Long (second from right) visits Edgewood Farms in Purdy in August 2018 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Long’s office)

U.S. Rep. Billy Long, R-Springfield, conducts the farm tour every August. Long’s guest this year is House Agriculture Committee Chairman Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minnesota.

Long says Peterson, a founding member of the Democrats’ “Blue Dog” Coalition, understands agriculture.

“He’s a buddy of mine and he’s what I call a DINO, because he’s a Democrat in name-only, he votes pretty much like Republicans,” Long says. “But Collin is going to come down and be on our ag tour with us, which is really exciting for people.”

Long says they’ll be visiting several farms, and rural broadband is expected to be a main topic during the tour.

“Springfield and then we go out to Rogersville and then down to College of the Ozarks (in Point Lookout), so we do a east side, west side rotate every year and this is our east side of my district year,” says Long.

Long tells Missourinet farmers in his district are excited that Peterson is visiting. Long’s district includes Springfield, Joplin, Bolivar and Branson.

He and Peterson just returned from Brazil, where they toured a massive soybean and cotton farm. Long says Brazil is “ramping up production” of soybeans.

Peterson’s committee has jurisdiction over numerous issues, including the farm bill, disaster assistance and international trade.

Long spoke to Missourinet at Thursday’s governor’s ham breakfast at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. He describes the state fair as one of the best in the nation.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with U.S. Rep. Billy Long, R-Springfield, which was recorded on August 15, 2019 at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia: