Content Detail

• Content META

  Title	Trump wants to keep farmers happy with cash. They're still worried about the future
  ID	29222818
  External ID	2ebfd81e11ced801e8edb456bf829467
  Author
  Published Date	Dec. 10, 2025, 11:04 p.m.
  Summary	RANDOLPH, Minn. (AP) — When Donald Trump promised new tariffs while running for president, Gene Steh
  Tags	None
  URL	https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/5445169-trump-wants-to-keep-farmers-happy-with-cash-theyre-still-worried-about-the-future
  Sentiment	Negative: 0.74445    Neutral: 0.16874    Positive: 0.08682
  Relevance	0.00000

• Content Details

  Content ID	36807950
  Key	02d3eca8-c75c-4c76-a588-3f4df3ed246a
  Content	RANDOLPH, Minn. (AP) — When Donald Trump promised new tariffs while running for president, Gene Stehly worried that trade disputes would jeopardize his international sales of corn, soybeans and wheat. A little more than a year later, Stehly said his fears have become a reality, and Trump's latest promise of federal assistance is insufficient to cover farmers' losses. 'Maybe this will all come out to be better at the end, but I can tell you right now, it certainly isn't the case at the moment," Stehly said. Trump announced Monday that his administration would distribute $12 billion in one-time payments to farmers, who have suffered from persistently low commodity prices, rising costs and declining sales after China cut off all agricultural purchases from America during the trade war. While rural areas remain conservative bastions, farmers' patience with Washington is wearing thin. Several of them described the government bailout, an echo of similar policies during Trump's first term, as a welcome stopgap but one that won't solve the agricultural industry's problems. "It's a bridge. It's not the ultimate solution we're looking for," said Charlie Radman, a fourth-generation farmer who grows corn and soybeans on the land his family has owned near Randolph, Minnesota, since 1899. 'What we really want to have is a little more certainty and not have to rely on these ad hoc payments.' American soybean and sorghum farmers typically export at least half of their crops. They were hit the hardest by Trump's trade dispute with China, the world's largest buyer of soybeans that has increasingly relied on harvests from Brazil and other South American nations. Trump and his Cabinet have boasted about the deal he struck with Chinese President Xi Jinping in October. But Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy, said this week that 'agriculture trade cooperation between China and the United States is proceeding in an orderly manner' without giving specifics. So far, China has bought only about a quarter of the 12 million metric tons of soybeans that U.S. officials said would be purchased before the end of February, raising doubts on whether Beijing would follow through on that pledge or commitments to buy 25 million metric tons annually in the next three years. China hasn't confirmed those numbers. 'In general, I don't trust their motives and integrity of their promises," said Bryant Kagay, who farms in northwest Missouri. Even if China does buy the agreed amount of American soybeans, that would only bring U.S. farmers near to the amount they were selling every year before Trump took office. That's a big part of why Minnesota farmer Glen Groth said he'd 'like to see the administration focus more on opening up markets outside of China.' In addition to finding other international buyers, agriculture groups are pushing to expand domestic uses like biodiesel, ethanol, aviation fuel and animal feed. Dan Keitzer, a soybean and corn farmer in southeast Iowa, said recent bumper crops and technological advancements that produce bigger harvests means that the industry needs more customers. 'I think most farmers would tell you that they don't want to go to the mailbox and get a check from the government. That's not why we farm,' he said. 'We need more demand for our product.' Trump has placated farmers with money before. During his first term, he provided $22 billion in 2019 to help cushion them from trade disputes with China. There was $46 billion in 2020, an expanded number that reflected financial challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. The $12 billion that he announced this week won't quell farmers' fears about the future. They're already ordering supplies for next year's crops and meeting with their bankers to discuss the loans they will need. But they're trying to stay optimistic that crop prices will improve if they find more buyers. The aid payments will be capped at $155,000 per farmer or entity, and only farms that make less than $900,000 in adjusted gross income will be eligible. But during the first Trump administration a number of large farms found ways around the payment limits and collected millions. Farmers would like to see Trump aggressively tackle concerns about higher costs that are eating into their bottom line. Trump signed an executive order over the weekend directing the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission to investigate anti-competitive practices anywhere in the food supply chain, starting with the fertilizer, seed and equipment that farmers rely on and continuing to deal with meat packing companies and grocers who help determine what price consumers pay. Tregg Cronin, who farms and ranches with his family in central South Dakota, said he's grateful for the president's acknowledgment that farmers are 'caught in the middle' of the trade war. But he said that any checks that farmers receive from the government will likely 'get turned around and sent right out the door.' Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Associated Press writers Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Didi Tang in Washington contributed to this report. This screenshot taken from video shows Charlie Radman, a corn and soybean farmer, standing on the land his family has owned since 1899, near Randolph, Minn., Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave) Charlie Radman, a corn and soybean farmer, stands for a photo on the land his family has owned since 1899, near Randolph, Minn., Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave) GOMA, Congo (AP) — In a maternity ward in eastern Congo, Irene Nabudeba rested her hands on her bulging midsection, worried about giving birth in a city under rebel control. The conflict that flared this year has left many medical supplies stranded beyond the front line. Infrastructure like running water has collapsed, along with the economy in Goma, the region's humanitarian and commercial hub. And now the one glimmer of hope for mothers — a free maternity care program offered by Congo's government — has ended after it was not renewed in June. It was not clear why, and Congolese and M23 officials did not respond to questions. Nabudeba has five children and wonders whether the sixth will survive. 'At the hospital, they ask us for money that we don't have. I'm pushing myself to come to the consultations, but for the delivery ... I don't know where I'll find the money,' she said at the Afia Himbi health center. Several women told The Associated Press they cannot afford maternal care after Congo's program that was aimed at reducing some of the world's highest maternal and neonatal death rates ended earlier this year. The program launched in 2023 offered free consultations and treatment for illnesses and at-risk pregnancies at selected health facilities across the country. Congo ranked second in maternal deaths globally with 19,000 in 2023, behind Nigeria's 75,000 deaths, according to U.N. statistics. Health workers said more women in Goma are now giving birth at home without skilled help, sometimes in unsanitary conditions, leaving them vulnerable to hemorrhage, infection or death. Clinics and hospitals were already struggling after the M23 rebels, backed by neighboring Rwanda, seized Goma in an escalation of fighting in January. Although clashes have subsided amid U.S.- and Qatar-led peace efforts, fighting continues and the conflict has collapsed public institutions, disrupted essential services and displaced more than 700,000 people, according to the U.N. humanitarian office. In Goma, the armed rebels are seen everywhere, making a pregnant woman's walk to clinics another source of anxiety. Freddy Kaniki, deputy coordinator of M23, asserted to the AP that the free maternal care 'was not renewed because it was a failure.' Congolese officials did not respond to questions. Rwanda denies supporting the M23 despite U.N. experts saying they have evidence of it. Rwanda prides itself on health care and recently signed a five-year deal with the U.S. for investment of up to $158 million in its own healthcare sector. The collapse of essential services in rebel-held areas, combined with mass displacement and insecurity, has left civilians struggling to access even basic care. An International Committee of the Red Cross assessment in September found that at least 85% of health facilities were experiencing medicine shortages, and nearly 40% have seen an exodus of staff after the conflict surged in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu. The ICRC in October said 200 health facilities in eastern Congo had run out of medicines because of looting and supply disruptions. Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, has reported hospitals attacked, ambulances blocked and medical staff threatened or killed. Childbirth at a clinic in Goma now costs $5 to $10, out of reach for many families in a region where over 70% of the population lives on less than $2.15 a day, according to the World Bank. Franck Ndachetere Kandonyi, chief nurse at the Afia Himbi health center, said the number of births there under the free program had jumped from around five a month to more than 20. But the program ended in June. Facing a table of statistics in his office, Kandonyi said the number of births per month is now down to nine. 'When a parent cannot even pay 10,000 Congolese francs ($4.50) for their wife's or child's care, it's a real problem,' the nurse said. Meanwhile, banks have closed in Goma, prices have soared and the dollar has depreciated. Nabudeba's husband, a driver, has been unemployed since January. She said her family is barely surviving. 'When the war broke out, we lost all our resources,' she said. 'Lately, the situation has not been favorable, and we are suffering greatly.' Across town at the Rehema Health Center, Ernestine Baleke waited for help with her ninth pregnancy, with concern on her face. She said she doesn't know where she will get money for the delivery. Her husband lost a factory job when the place was looted earlier in the conflict, she said. Then their house burned. 'I don't even have 100 francs (45 cents) in my pocket,' Baleke said. She walks more than half a mile to the hospital because she cannot afford transportation. Three months remain before her delivery. 'The authorities must restore free healthcare," Baleke said. 'We risk dying in our homes while giving birth.' For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Ernestine Baleke walks to the Rehema Health Center to receive pre-natal care that used to be free at the Rehema Health Center in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa) Ernestine Baleke rests on a wall after receiving pre-natal care that used to be free at the Rehema Health Center in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa) Ernestine Baleke receives pre-natal care that used to be free at the Rehema Health Center in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa) Irene Nabudeba, pregnant, mother of 5, waits for a consultation that used to be free at the Afia Himbi Hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa) Irene Nabudeba, pregnant, mother of 5, waits for a consultation that used to be free at the Afia Himbi Hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
  Content Reference URL	None

• Publisher

  Publisher Name	BastillePost 巴士的報 (#14865)
  Publisher URL	https://www.bastillepost.com/
  Description	None
  Trust Flow Score	21
  Citation Flow Score	34

• Data Source

  Data Source Name	NewsCatcher (#303)
  Data Source Type	news
  Data Source URL	https://www.newscatcherapi.com/
  Description
  Weight	1