Miranda Green, a correspondent for The New Republic, said on Hill TV’s “Rising” Wednesday that U.S. farmers are among those facing serious economic challenges during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Farmers are really concerned about the state of affairs, much like the rest of America here, but coronavirus has really affected them when it comes to the bottom line,” said Green, a former reporter at The Hill.
Green said that schools and restaurants closing has taken away huge markets from those in the food supply chain. A slowdown in international trade has also brought obstacles, Green said, noting 17 percent of all meat production in the U.S. is exported overseas.
“There might be too much food,” Green said.
To further complicate things, the workers farmers rely on to harvest their crops have had trouble obtaining work visas as U.S. consulates in Mexico, where 90 percent of agricultural guest workers come from, have shut their doors.
“They’re considering leaving their crops rotting in the field,” Green said. “That’s a big concern for them because obviously that’s leaving money on the vine.”
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