Don Cairns is one of many farmers in Chester County who have been struggling in the uncertain market that has resulted from the trade war with China, writes Emily Pontecorvo for WPSU Radio.
Cairns, who owns the Cairns Family Farm in Parkesburg, has been losing money since China imposed tariffs on American soybeans in July last year. Since then, sales of soybeans to the Asian country have completely dried up, which has brought prices down drastically.
As a result, Cairns lost around $40,000 last year.
“We’re selling soybeans for way less than the cost of production,” he said.
Cairns is one of Chester County’s largest grain growers. He said he was struggling with low prices even before the trade war began. Then, soybean prices went down even further. However, unlike their counterparts in the Midwest who focus solely on soybeans, Cairns and other local farmers have other crops, like corn, that help them survive.
“If I was only growing soybeans, we’d be really, really hurting,” said Cairns.
Read more about Cairns Family Farm at WPSU Radio here.
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