Trade tensions between the U.S. and China translate into real impacts for Wisconsin agriculture, with ginseng, diary, corn and soybean producers losing millions as tariff rhetoric escalates.
The future of Wisconsin’s agriculture industry will be the focus for an upcoming panel discussion, “U.S.–China Trade Tensions: What’s at Stake for Central Wisconsin’s Agriculture?” The event will take place 7–8:30 p.m., June 18, at the UW Center for Civic Engagement in Wausau. The event is free and open to the public.
Wisconsin agriculture experts and business leaders will serve as panelists for the discussion.
Panelists include: Ian Coxhead, UW–Madison Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics; Don Radtke, Wisconsin Farm Bureau; Phil Karsting, formerly with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service; and Will Hsu, Hsu’s Ginseng. The discussion will be moderated by Pam Jahnke, Wisconsin Farm Report radio personality.
Panelists are expected to cover the current state of U.S.-China trade relations, the impact on the local and global economies, and what Wisconsin and the U.S. can expect in the future.
“Producers and farmers are already feeling the effects of trade tensions with China on their businesses, but much of the rest of the state is not,” said David Fields, associate director for UW–Madison’s Center for East Asian Studies. “Through East Asia Now events like this one, we are bringing together UW economists, policymakers, and farmers to inform Wisconsinites about what is happening and how it will eventually impact their bottom line. This is the Wisconsin Idea in action, and we plan to do more such events in the future.”
The event is hosted by the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service in collaboration with the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as part of the 2019 Public Issues Series. The Public Issues Series is made possible through the support of Dean Dietrich and Kevin Hermening, two Wausau businessmen who are committed to open, nonpartisan dialogue.
The event is also part of the Center for East Asian Studies’ East Asia Now series, which will be held throughout Wisconsin. Learn more about this event and the series at eastasia.wisc.edu/upcoming-events.