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Local farmer says emergency aid much needed, not a permanent solution

Vaughan Farms’ has been in Robert Vaughan’s family for eight generations, but he feels like he’s living in a past generation due to the on-going trade war.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Vaughan Farms’ has been in Robert Vaughan’s family for eight generations, but he feels like he’s living in a past generation due to the on-going trade war between the U.S. and China.

“I’m going to pay salaries less than what 40 years ago was. How do you feel about that? That’s basically what the American farmer is feeling today,” said Vaughan.

The trade war is having the biggest impact on soybeans and corn, which make up 90 percent of Vaughan’s crops.

“It’s directly affecting our bottom line as far as income we can make off that crop,” said Vaughan.

The Vaughans just planted 300 acres of soybeans in just the last few days. They know exactly what it costs to grow but what they will get in return is totally up in the air.

“Not being able to depend on a price that you are going to get for your crop, not knowing what that price is going to be, makes it hard,” said Vaughan.

In 2012 soybeans were being sold for $16 dollars a bushel and corn was sold for $8 dollars a bushel. Today both of those prices have been slashed in half.

“Eight generations, we don’t want to mess it up. We would like to pass this down to our future generations if they want to do it, but some things are going to have to change as far as pricing,” said Vaughan.

Thursday the White House announced they will be providing $16 billion dollars in aid to farmers across the country just like Robert Vaughan.

“That help is a very temporary help because they’ll pay it back 100 times over. They will, with what they do with the importance of what they do,” said President Donald Trump during a White House press conference.

Vaughan doesn’t know exactly how much aid money he’ll receive but he does know how he’ll spend it.

“In my situation, it’s a tractor payment. That’s probably what that subsidy will go to, and it’s a much-needed tractor payment. Otherwise, I would have a hard time figuring out where I would get that from,” said Vaughan.

Vaughan also acknowledges this money is not a permanent solution.

“It’s really a band-aid. We really need to figure out how to get a fair playing field,” said Vaughan.

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