US farm crisis deepens as Trump asks Iran to buy American crops and central banks move off the dollar
This is bad news for US farmers, the dollar, and anyone counting on American economic dominance.
- Trump declared a food emergency and is rushing in Moroccan fertilizer, dropping his own tariffs after the trade war and Iran conflict pushed fertilizer costs up 30-40%.
- US farms are in deep trouble — bankruptcies are climbing, equipment costs jumped because much of it comes from China, and America now imports more food than it exports.
- Trump's odd fix: pressure Iran to spend its frozen money buying US corn, soy, and wheat to replace the huge Chinese demand lost during the trade war.
- Central banks are planning to cut dollar holdings and buy more Chinese yuan and gold, because trade increasingly runs through China, not the US.
- Holding US bonds barely pays after inflation, giving the world little reason to lock money into dollars for a decade.
Outlook: Dedollarization looks set to continue as central banks keep stacking gold and yuan, while the Iran farm deal remains a long shot.