Grassley Russia Ukraine Tension Has Already Taken A Toll On US Farmers

The Russia-Ukraine conflict not only has the potential to harm U.S. Ag producers into the future, one senior Ag lawmaker says the tension has already had an impact on American farmers.

“The way they’re getting caught in farming, but everybody else is being caught, with $90 a barrel oil or $100 a barrel oil, or it could be higher than $100 a barrel," said Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. "I think that’s hurting agriculture tremendously, and then think that’s not just the stuff that powers our engines, that’s the stuff that increases the price of fertilizer, and all that sort of stuff. So, farmers are being hurt already.”

And then there’s the threat of U.S., EU and U.K. sanctions against Russia.

“How these sanctions would hurt their exports, I don’t know," Grassley said. "But if it did hurt their exports, it would raise the price, or lower the price on Russian farmers, might help the price of American farmers, just like when Carter embargoed grain going to Russia, because they invaded Afghanistan.”

Though, Grassley points out the Carter embargo eventually hurt U.S. producers who lost overseas business. Ukraine is a large producer of wheat and corn, and if that shuts down, Grassley says it could translate into additional U.S. sales to China and other markets.

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