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China is hardly buying any U.S. soybeans thanks to the ongoing trade dispute. But as China grapples with a major disease outbreak, there’s a possible silver lining for farmers here.
African swine fever has led to the deaths of at least a million hogs in China, a country that eats a lot of pork.
To meet that demand, China may need to import more U-S pork.
The U-S has the capacity to raise more pigs, and those animals would eat some of the soybeans that China isn’t currently buying.
But Mike Steenhoek of the Soy Transportation Coalition cautions that it’s barely a bright spot.
0515steenhoek: There certainly is potentially an opportunity to recoup some of that lost demand, but it’s going to be very difficult to fully absorb that just by selling more pork. (:13)
And with US-imposed tariffs on pork, too, the Chinese may turn to other suppliers.
Eight legislators and a lawyer have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a law giving the governor more control over the commission that nominates candidates for positions on the Iowa Supreme Court and Iowa Court of Appeals.
KCCI-TV reports the Democratic lawmakers and Cedar Rapids lawyer Bob Rush filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Polk County District Court and asked a judge to temporarily halt implementation of the law.
Last week, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill giving her the authority to appoint nine commissioners to the 17-member state commission. Lawyers will elect eight. Republican lawmakers had insisted on changing the earlier process, which was established by a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1962.
