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What U.S. Farmers Say About China

How do U.S. farmers react after a visit to China? "Shocked." "Awesome•amazing•challenging," are just some of the ways people describe this country.

I heard some of those words and more as I toured China in March, along with several farmers on an Illinois Farm Bureau Market Study Tour.

"I'm amazed they're projecting 8% GDP growth," says Larry Paarlberg, who farms near Chicago in Cook County. "That's hard. When was the last time we had growth like that in the U.S.?"

Paarlberg sat down with me for a quick debriefing over coffee in Hong Kong, just hours before we returned to America. He believes China and the United States have the potential to dominate the global economy for the next 100 years - provided the U.S. does not become too protectionist in its trade policy.

"China needs us to succeed," he says. "They have too much invested in us — we need each other. But I'm concerned the U.S. economic engine is going to turn more European, more toward a sound safety net, and less about economic growth."

Mike Marron, who farms near Fithian, Ill., agrees. "It's unlimited potential for U.S. growers, but I worry about our ability to compete, especially with arbitrary protectionist rules that are resonating in Washington right now," he says. "It's threatening to derail all the work these guys have been doing these past decades. It's going to make me take a more proactive approach with my legislators when I get home."

 Here are other comments from tour participants:

"I have a feeling their economic stimulus package will work in half the time ours will. Maybe that's the virtue of a totalitarian system — no property rights."	Jack Fisher, Columbus, Ohio
"It was striking to me that the Chinese government is really focusing on their rural economy. Perhaps they're worried about political stability and unrest. With the agriculture we've seen here they're never going to be able to become large-scale. They're utilizing everything — instead of yards they have fields of crops in front of their houses."	Alan Acheson, Rushville, Ill.
"We thought the construction crane was the national bird, there's no much construction going on. Airports are new and filled with Boeings and Airbuses, and not the rusty bucket Russian planes that were here 10 years ago. In the cities we saw lots of young faces. They're incredibly industrious people. Nothing is wasted."	Paul Taylor, Esmond, Ill.
"I think China is thinking more green than we are I some respects. In the poorest villages you see solar water heaters. In the hotel you have policies to not wash towels every day. Those hotel rooms automatically turn the heat off when you're not in the room. Some of it is just reducing waste — green by necessity."	Glenn Gindler, Madison, Ill.
"They're really going to be limited in competitiveness based on farm and field size."	Scott Bidner, Champaign, Ill.
"When you're making a dollar or two a day, our garbage disposals eat better than they do. The Chinese government has their hands full keeping the rural people happy. Twenty percent of the population lives without water and electricity. Going from double digit GDP growth to less than 10% made 150 million people leave the cities and go back to the country. They will have a revolt if they can't get their economic machine moving soon."	Henry Kallal, Jerseyville, Ill.
"I am still in awe about how happy the people seem to be if they just have a roof over their heads and food on the table. I was surprised that most of the people on the streets in the cities seemed to be under the age of forty. I believe after seeing all the construction that China is doing they are going to help lead the world out of this recession. They may also put a prop under the soybean market with their ag policy of importing beans and raising their own corn."	Jim Ufkin, Prophetstown, Ill.