America's government declares "war" promiscuously — on poverty, on drugs, on cancer, etc. — except when actually going to war, which the nation has done often since it last declared war (on June 5, 1942, on Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary). But the incipient war du jour is being postponed. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the Trump administration is "putting the trade war on hold." The one with China, that is. Others can continue.
The armistice-before-the-war is good news for farmers, who could use some. USA Today reports that the net income of U.S. farmers has fallen by more than half since 2013, to its lowest point since 2006, the steepest decline since the Great Depression. For this, blame productive farming around the world (supply outpacing demand), rotten weather in America, and perverse government in Washington. China and Mexico, responding to uncertainties caused by U.S. indignation (about China selling too much to consenting American adults, and about NAFTA enabling mighty Mexico to exploit America), are finding alternative sources of soybeans, pork and beef.
There is nothing like a calamity for taking one's mind off one's troubles, and anti-immigration Republicans have another affliction for American farmers. The Wall Street Journal reports that about half of agriculture workers are undocumented immigrants. Because more Mexicans have left than entered the United States between 2009 and 2014, the immigrant agriculture labor force is aging — and moving to higher-paying construction jobs.