US farmers are saying they "just need temporary help, until things get better."Here's the thing.
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US farmers are saying they "just need temporary help, until things get better."
Here's the thing. US farm exports- which are mostly soy- CANNOT get better.
Other countries expanded their soy industries to fill China's demand.
We've walled ourselves out of the global market, folks. This is it.
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US farmers are saying they "just need temporary help, until things get better."
Here's the thing. US farm exports- which are mostly soy- CANNOT get better.
Other countries expanded their soy industries to fill China's demand.
We've walled ourselves out of the global market, folks. This is it.
The thing is, this isn't even the first time US ag has wrecked itself with foolish trade wars.
In the runup to the Civil War, US cotton plantations decided to stop exporting cotton. Why?
Because the British Empire's textile mills ran on cotton from US plantations.
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The thing is, this isn't even the first time US ag has wrecked itself with foolish trade wars.
In the runup to the Civil War, US cotton plantations decided to stop exporting cotton. Why?
Because the British Empire's textile mills ran on cotton from US plantations.
Without Southern cotton, the British textile industry would be brought to its knees.
And that would force the British Empire- with the world's most powerful navy- to help the US South in its fight for "freedom."
At least, that's what cotton plantation owners THOUGHT would happen.
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Without Southern cotton, the British textile industry would be brought to its knees.
And that would force the British Empire- with the world's most powerful navy- to help the US South in its fight for "freedom."
At least, that's what cotton plantation owners THOUGHT would happen.
What actually happened? Egyptian cotton.
With lots of fertile farmland and desperate for something to sell for cash on international markets,
Egypt's leadership dumped resources into building up cotton farming in Egypt.
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What actually happened? Egyptian cotton.
With lots of fertile farmland and desperate for something to sell for cash on international markets,
Egypt's leadership dumped resources into building up cotton farming in Egypt.
By the time the US Civil War was over, so was the US cotton industry.
Egypt had ramped up to growing so much cotton, nobody really needed any from the US South anymore.
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By the time the US Civil War was over, so was the US cotton industry.
Egypt had ramped up to growing so much cotton, nobody really needed any from the US South anymore.
This is why "Egyptian cotton" is a thing now!
Egypt grew a little cotton before all that, but not a "main export industry & household name" amount.
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This is why "Egyptian cotton" is a thing now!
Egypt grew a little cotton before all that, but not a "main export industry & household name" amount.
This is why it's so important that US agriculture quit its "positive vibes only!" strategy and actually learn from its own mistakes.
So we can stop repeating them already.
Anyway, here's the next Egyptian cotton: Argentine & Brazilian soybeans.
https://mishtalk.com/economics/us-soybean-exports-to-china-drop-to-zero-argentina-and-brazil-win/
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This is why it's so important that US agriculture quit its "positive vibes only!" strategy and actually learn from its own mistakes.
So we can stop repeating them already.
Anyway, here's the next Egyptian cotton: Argentine & Brazilian soybeans.
https://mishtalk.com/economics/us-soybean-exports-to-china-drop-to-zero-argentina-and-brazil-win/
Ope this is going off
Ok folks! My Congressman is a MAGA clown who's on multiple ag committees.
As a farmer, I need ag policymakers with a spine who tell Trump no.
So for every donation to Kim Hardy, who's running against my
Congressman, I will post one (1) ag fact. -
Without Southern cotton, the British textile industry would be brought to its knees.
And that would force the British Empire- with the world's most powerful navy- to help the US South in its fight for "freedom."
At least, that's what cotton plantation owners THOUGHT would happen.
@sarahtaber Despite the unemployment and poverty caused by the Lancashire cotton famine, caused by the collapse of the cotton trade from the American Civil War, the UK cotton mill workers voted in 1862 to side with the Union and Lincoln in the continued fight against slavery.
The UK government and the mill owners sided with the Confederacy. History teaches us important lessons that are as relevant today.
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Ope this is going off
Ok folks! My Congressman is a MAGA clown who's on multiple ag committees.
As a farmer, I need ag policymakers with a spine who tell Trump no.
So for every donation to Kim Hardy, who's running against my
Congressman, I will post one (1) ag fact.Farm fact: the South is famous for clayey red soil, but a lot of it is actually... sand. Like beach sand. See the yellow on the map here.
Why? It IS beach sand. That's where the shoreline was during the Cretaceous.
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Farm fact: the South is famous for clayey red soil, but a lot of it is actually... sand. Like beach sand. See the yellow on the map here.
Why? It IS beach sand. That's where the shoreline was during the Cretaceous.
This has Certain Consequences for agriculture in the South!
Your classic grain belt-type farming- grain, silos, tractors, livestock to eat all the grain- is what the US considers "real farming."
And it likes big flat plains.
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This has Certain Consequences for agriculture in the South!
Your classic grain belt-type farming- grain, silos, tractors, livestock to eat all the grain- is what the US considers "real farming."
And it likes big flat plains.
So when there's big flat plains in the US, that's kinda what we like to do.
But in the South? Our big flat plains are mostly deep, DEEP coastal sand.
And grain DOESN'T LIKE SAND
We aren't gonna thrive trying to play the Midwest's game on sand y'all. What are we doing
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So when there's big flat plains in the US, that's kinda what we like to do.
But in the South? Our big flat plains are mostly deep, DEEP coastal sand.
And grain DOESN'T LIKE SAND
We aren't gonna thrive trying to play the Midwest's game on sand y'all. What are we doing
Attempting to farm Midwest-style on sand has led a lot of people to describe Southern soils as "bad."
This is false. Slanderous, even.
Sand is great!
Root crops love it! It's soft! Long skinny roots like carrots can push downward without hitting rocks or clay pans & turning into this
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Attempting to farm Midwest-style on sand has led a lot of people to describe Southern soils as "bad."
This is false. Slanderous, even.
Sand is great!
Root crops love it! It's soft! Long skinny roots like carrots can push downward without hitting rocks or clay pans & turning into this
Trees like "well drained soil," which is just fancy words for "it doesn't get soggy."
Nothing stays un-soggy like sand. Every time it rains, the water runs right through it like a sieve.
Yeah that's annoying sometimes! If it STOPS raining for a week the crops panic!
But it sure is well-drained
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Trees like "well drained soil," which is just fancy words for "it doesn't get soggy."
Nothing stays un-soggy like sand. Every time it rains, the water runs right through it like a sieve.
Yeah that's annoying sometimes! If it STOPS raining for a week the crops panic!
But it sure is well-drained
Ok time for a quick dinner break, will be back later tonight with more FARM FACTS
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Ok time for a quick dinner break, will be back later tonight with more FARM FACTS
Ok farm facts are back!
China is so much of the global soybean market, you can't make up losing them by selling to other countries. There isn't enough soybean demand in the world to fill that dent.
And farmers... know that.
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Ok farm facts are back!
China is so much of the global soybean market, you can't make up losing them by selling to other countries. There isn't enough soybean demand in the world to fill that dent.
And farmers... know that.
And it's just not likely to get better anytime soon.
The first time the US started a trade war with China... what can I say. They noticed. They worked with other countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay to buy their crops & invest in growing more of them.
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And it's just not likely to get better anytime soon.
The first time the US started a trade war with China... what can I say. They noticed. They worked with other countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay to buy their crops & invest in growing more of them.
A helpful primer on how major soybean buyers like China are viewing the US's new penchant for trade wars.
Really appreciate the writers' commitment to breaking it down so a 5-year-old can understand it
https://asiatimes.com/2025/09/brazil-will-remain-chinas-preferred-soybean-supplier-not-the-us/
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A helpful primer on how major soybean buyers like China are viewing the US's new penchant for trade wars.
Really appreciate the writers' commitment to breaking it down so a 5-year-old can understand it
https://asiatimes.com/2025/09/brazil-will-remain-chinas-preferred-soybean-supplier-not-the-us/
Anyway, here's what this all means.
US soybean farmers have two options.
Grow something else, or get welfare checks forever.
There is no third option.
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Anyway, here's what this all means.
US soybean farmers have two options.
Grow something else, or get welfare checks forever.
There is no third option.
So which option are US farmers leaning toward?
Let me put it this way: I haven't run across anyone saying "I'm thinking of growing something else" yet.
They're surely out there, but not amongst the chosen spokespeople of the sector.
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@stefan on the other hand, does Mastodon really need to become this big monolithic app? I kinda like that there are different apps that you can opt into, but that still use the same protocol.
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Mastodon needs big changes if it wants to grow. BIG CHANGES.
Most of what I personally want are small Quality of Life changes.
One reason apps like Pixelfed and Loops are interesting are because people could find them without caring about Activitypub.
New apps are exciting because it's a great way to experiment with things that maybe Mastodon could learn from and add in the future.
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At the Fediverse track at SFSCon last month, Harry Keller spoke about:
Seizing the Means of Communication: a Plan for Community-Owned Social Media.
Recording and other talks: https://fediforum.org/2025-11-sfscon/
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@disorderlyf you tell me!
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Good evening 🌘 This is Khaled from Rafah, #Gaza Strip, #Palestine. How are you today?
It's very cold in Khan Yunis, especially at night. It's raining, the air is humid, the tents have been flooded again. To keep warm and dry indoors, people burn paper and plastic.
Thanks to donations, I was able to buy some warm clothes for my family. But there's 19 of us, so not enough clothes for everyone. I'm borrowing my cousin's jacket whenever I go out.
Please help us:
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@ErickaSimone I think you're incredible.
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December is...
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RIP FireFox https://www.phoronix.com/news/Mozilla-New-CEO-AI
