SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) -- Democratic Congressional candidate Tim Bjorkman says the state's Washington delegation's words on the impact of tariffs on agriculture are nice but he says action is what's really needed.
Bjorkman was joined by three farmers at his news conference today who not only echoed his call but discussed the impact tariffs and the threat of tariffs were having on their farms.
South Dakota Farmers Union president Doug Sombke said he went to an implement dealer to get a new bucket loader for his tractor. The dealer told him that simply because of the threat of tariffs, Sombke would have to pay seven percent more than the noted price. The dealer said that was because he was going to have to pay seven percent more to restock the item from his distributor.
Sombke, farms near Conde, said soybeans have dropped $3 per bushel since April, For him, with 1,000 acres in soybeans and production at 40 bushels per acre, that's a $120,000 loss.
Mark Rogin, a dairy farmer from the Garretson area, said milk prices had just started to move to the break-even point before all the tariff talk. He says milk prices now have dropped $2-$2.50 per 100 weight, which means a $450,000 loss per month for his operation.
He said he was going to put up a new $250,000 steel building, but now he can't afford to. Rogin said that then cost the contractor profits and work for the employees.
Bo DeKramer, who farms near Canistota, says June should be the best month of the year to market corn. But because of the talk of tariffs and tariffs, corn dropped from $3.75 per bushel to $3. He said he fears severe consequences--such as the loss of farms and farmers--if things get worse.
Bjorkman said Congress's resolution against tariffs yesterday does no good. He said Congress needs to take back its Constitutional and statutory authority to levy--or not levy tariffs. He said tariffs in the 1930s further deepened the Great Depression with higher prices and countervailing tariffs on American goods.
Click above to watch the news conference.
