Farming is uncertain — a trade war makes it more so : Consider This from NPR

Markets for soybeans are set to be affected by an international trade war. In this 2013 photo, a farmer named Greg Porth harvests soybeans near Worthington, Minn.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Markets for soybeans are set to be affected by an international trade war. In this 2013 photo, a farmer named Greg Porth harvests soybeans near Worthington, Minn.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Farmers already worry about things like crop prices, the cost of farm supplies and extreme weather.

Now, President Trump’s signature tariffs — and the federal government under the Trump administration — pose more big question marks.

We hear from Ann Veneman, the Secretary of Agriculture under George W. Bush.

And Robert Smith and Wailin Wong from NPR’s The Indicator from Planet Money report on what economic uncertainty means for one farmer.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at [email protected].

This episode was produced by Michelle Aslam and Connor Donevan. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon and Nadia Lancy, with help from Kirk Siegler and Eric Whitney. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.