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together, because our
world of hurt right now. We

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need to move it forward.
>> In a sea of not great

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news, Wisconsin farmers
could see a boost after

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President Donald Trump met
with China this week. As a

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result of the talks, China
promised to restart buying

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U.S. soybeans after halting
such purchases. In May,

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Wisconsin farmers waylaid
by trade disputes could at

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least see a better market
for soybeans, but they're

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still facing trade trouble
for beef, rising costs, and

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for the many farmers who,
as small business owners,

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depend on Affordable Care
Act health plans, hikes in

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premiums. We pick up now
with Brad Olson, president

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of the Wisconsin Farm
Bureau. And thanks a lot

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for being here.
>> Thank you for having me.

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>> So, all told, what kind
of headwinds are Wisconsin

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farmers facing right now?
>> Well, just increasing

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costs, fertilizer, feed,
all of those are increasing

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at a time when when other
than the price of fat

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cattle, everything is is
down, corner down, beans

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have been down. Milk is not
good. So lots of lots of

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headwinds out there. On the
other hand, farmers have

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faced this in the past and
are resilient.

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>> Are the input costs for
things like fertilizer and

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feed having to do with
trade?

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>> Not so much. Certainly a
little bit. I mean, if you,

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you know, from the potash
side of things, 80% of

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potash comes from, from
Canada. So we certainly

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want good stable trade with
Canada on that side to keep

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potash prices normal.
Normal.

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>> How welcome is the news
that China will start

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buying soybeans again.
>> Oh extremely welcome. I

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mean, a big deal not just
in Wisconsin but across the

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nation to get China back.
You know, maybe not this

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year, but the next two
years of buying what they

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have in the past is
exceptional. Good news for

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soybean farmers and all
farmers across the nation.

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>> Is it expected that
China will buy enough to

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kind of offset that country
not buying since May?

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>> Well, they're going to
buy roughly, you know, 12

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million metric tons this
year, which isn't going to

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00:02:17,905 --> 00:02:21,041
make up the difference. But
at the end of the day, it's

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going to make a big
difference. And moving

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forward to 26 and 27 with
that promise to buy back to

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the, you know, the same
level that they had been is

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certainly going to help
agriculture out in the long

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run here.
>> What about beef

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producers in Wisconsin with
President Trump's plan to

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quadruple imports from
significant impact in this

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state?
>> I guess time will tell.

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You know, certainly it's
the first time that beef

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producers have been
profitable in a number of

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years. So we're certainly
concerned and keeping an

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eye on that on a regular,
very regular basis.

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>> As to this government
shutdown and the Fight over

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Affordable Care Act,
enhanced premiums or

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enhanced tax credits, how
dependent are Wisconsin

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00:03:12,226 --> 00:03:15,796
farmers on kind of
marketplace plans?

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>> Somewhat fortunately,
Wisconsin Farm Bureau is

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again this year going to
try and get the Tennessee

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Health Plan passed here in
Wisconsin, which would help

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00:03:26,039 --> 00:03:29,009
farmers considerably that
that are in that in-between

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maybe don't are not
eligible for the Affordable

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Health Care Act, but at the
same point, can't afford

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regular health care from,
you know, companies across

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the state of the nation. So
again, we're working on

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trying to to find that
middle ground where we can

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where we can help members
out.

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00:03:47,127 --> 00:03:51,832
health plan offered by the
Farm Bureau do? I mean,

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00:03:51,899 --> 00:03:55,903
what what is that plan?
>> It's just a health plan

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00:03:55,969 --> 00:03:58,672
that not necessarily
insurance, but a plan that

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00:03:58,739 --> 00:04:02,709
is typically, like I say,
it isn't for people who

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00:04:02,776 --> 00:04:04,811
necessarily on the
affordable health care, but

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00:04:04,878 --> 00:04:07,814
also people who cannot
necessarily afford it,

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00:04:07,881 --> 00:04:10,551
finds them, them people
that are in between. Right.

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00:04:10,617 --> 00:04:13,520
>> And so that would
require legislation from

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00:04:13,587 --> 00:04:16,156
the state.
>> It would require

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00:04:16,223 --> 00:04:19,059
legislation from the state
and being signed by the

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00:04:19,126 --> 00:04:21,562
governor. 14 other states
around the nation have it.

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00:04:21,628 --> 00:04:24,431
>> And what are those
prospects for that

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00:04:24,498 --> 00:04:27,734
happening?
>> A little better than

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00:04:28,502 --> 00:04:32,072
5050, I think.
>> Well, those aren't bad

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00:04:32,139 --> 00:04:36,944
odds, really. But no, no.
Another kind of hot topic.

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00:04:37,811 --> 00:04:40,981
The 2025 farm bill, the
largest piece of which is

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00:04:41,048 --> 00:04:43,417
SNAP, which we're all
talking about right now.

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00:04:43,483 --> 00:04:46,220
How is work on that
progressing?

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00:04:46,286 --> 00:04:50,357
>> Well, there again, we
need not not just for Snap

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00:04:50,424 --> 00:04:52,626
benefits, but everybody
across the nation, farmers,

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00:04:52,693 --> 00:04:55,662
everyone in day to day
businesses. We need to get

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00:04:55,729 --> 00:04:57,931
the federal government back
up and going again. You

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00:04:57,998 --> 00:05:00,901
know, you go to the airport,
the TSA people aren't

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00:05:00,968 --> 00:05:04,271
necessarily being paid. We
need those people to be

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00:05:04,338 --> 00:05:07,841
paid. And hopefully here,
hopefully this week we'll

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00:05:07,908 --> 00:05:09,776
see some movement and get
the government open again

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00:05:09,843 --> 00:05:12,880
and get those people paid,
as well as get recipients

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00:05:12,946 --> 00:05:16,183
of federal programs taken
care of.

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00:05:18,285 --> 00:05:23,457
that has been discussed a
labor and labor shortages.

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00:05:23,524 --> 00:05:27,761
Is that something that
Wisconsin farmers are

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00:05:28,662 --> 00:05:31,331
with?
>> Yeah, I think so. You

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00:05:32,466 --> 00:05:37,738
know, it's agriculture is a
labor dependent business.

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00:05:37,804 --> 00:05:41,408
And so it has always been
that and we've just, you

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00:05:41,475 --> 00:05:44,111
know, rural America, rural
Wisconsin is shrinking. So

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00:05:44,178 --> 00:05:46,747
we don't have those those
neighbors and those other

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farm kids to to necessarily
fill those jobs.