“He promised better trade deals, but instead, he got played by China. Through his reckless trade policy, Trump has milked dairy farms dry.”

In a new op-ed in the Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel, Spencer Aitel, a dairy farmer from South China, Maine, explains how Trump’s failed trade war with China impacted his business and other Maine dairy farmers, who are the economic engines driving rural Maine.

Maine dairy farmers “suffered some of the lowest milk prices in years, as well as huge price swings” thanks to Trump’s failed trade war. The resulting economic crisis led one economist to estimate that Maine dairy farmers could lose an estimated $50,000 because of Trump’s reckless policies. Despite promising the greatest trade deals in American history, “the evidence is clear [...] Donald Trump has caused irreparable harm to American agriculture” and has “milked dairy farms dry.”

Kennebec Journal / Morning Sentinel: Trump’s trade war has milked Maine dairy farms dry

By Spencer Aitel
October 1, 2020

Key Points:

  • When Donald Trump ran for President four years ago, he came to Bangor and promised Mainers like me that he would deliver the greatest trade deals in American history. As a dairy farmer whose livelihood depends in part on exports to China and other countries, that sounded quite promising. Dairy farmers are the economic engines of rural Maine, and our ability to thrive is based in part on how much we can make by exporting our products to other countries.
     
  • Trump’s bluster and policy making by tweet didn’t produce any of the greatest trade deals in American history. Unsurprisingly, when Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese goods, China retaliated and took aim at American agriculture products. Trump’s trade war decimated our exports and dried up one of the dairy industry’s most important markets nearly overnight.
     
  • Maine wasn’t spared significant losses from the trade war [...] dairy farmers like me have suffered from some of the lowest milk prices in years, as well as huge price swings.
     
  • Before the trade war, Maine was home to more than 200 dairy farms that produced 71 million gallons of milk each year nationally. 1 in 8 gallons of that milk was sold abroad. But one economist estimated that the average Maine dairy farm could lose $50,000 because of Trump’s trade war. 
     
  • The evidence is clear. I’ve seen it myself. After his reckless trade war and failed attempts to paper over the damage, Donald Trump has caused irreparable harm to American agriculture. He promised better trade deals, but instead, he got played by China. Through his reckless trade policy, Trump has milked dairy farms dry.

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