By Kay Wilson

This may be painful. Of course it will be for the farmers of the country. Government actions always hit the ag sector.

I understand the quality of steel from China has never been as good as the steel we make right here. And while I have never heard firsthand about the aluminum that is shipped from Asia, I can imagine it is not up to our manufacturers’ standards. It’s probably unfortunate that our neighbors to the north were included in the import tax increase.

The Washington talking heads said at the time that our country’s exporters should buckle up, buttercup. They realized there would be a negative reaction coming from China. I imagine our agriculture economists knew where the hit would be placed. It’s too bad for our farmers and equally too bad for the hungry people of China with the extra 25 percent tariff placed on pork, beef and fruit products.

While these tariffs are all talk right now, negotiations are just beginning to heat up between the Chinese and our present leaders. I hope our side comes out with a better deal, and I’m sure that is the plan. However, I also hope the pain inflicted to our economy will not create another recession.