© 2024 Red River Radio
Voice of the Community
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Arkansas Governor Expresses Concerns Over Trump Trade Tariffs

Courtesy: Ark. Farm Bureau

ARK GOV VOICES TARIFF CONCERNS - The state of Arkansas produces a lot of agriculture products and a big part of that produce is Soy Beans.  Yesterday, Governor Asa Hutchinson voiced his concerns about President Trump’s Trade Tariffs with China.  China  is arguably the number one customer for Soy Beans grown in the United States. Hutchinson told Arkansas Public Radio KUAR that he’s anxious for success in the trade talks with China as the escalating tariffs have impacted  markets, with soybean prices falling to their lowest levels in a decade.

Credit Courtesy: Arkansas Governors Office
/
Courtesy: Arkansas Governors Office
Asa Hutchinson, Governor of Arkansas

"We need to get back to the table and we need to get back to the basics of the agreement," explained Hutchinson. " But the basics of the agreement should be lowering  tariffs.  And I think the president  needs to do a better job of explaining what we're going to end up with when all this is over with, to give hope to our farmers, give hope to those who are dependent upon this commerce. Ultimately consumers pay for it."

According to the Arkansas Farm Bureau - Soybeans are the state's largest row crop, , with 3.1 million acres, accounting for more than rice, corn, sorghum and wheat combined.  The drop in prices, combined with recent wet weather that delayed planting, has Arkansas Farmers worried, as are Texas and Louisiana Farmers with Soybeans being a major row crop in those states as well.

Chuck Smith brings more than 30 years' broadcast and media experience to Red River Radio. He began his career as a radio news reporter and transitioned to television journalism and newsmagazine production. Chuck studied mass communications at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia and motion picture / television production at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has also taught writing for television at York Technical College in Rock Hill, South Carolina and video / film production at Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport.