The Country 16/06/26: Todd Clark talks to Jamie Mackay

We ask our US farming correspondent about Trump's peace deal, gas prices, beef prices and why sheep farming is a precarious occupation.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here's a US farming correspondent, Todd Clark, based out of
the beautiful Lexington area in Kentucky. It was a big
day yesterday, Todd, in America, Trump's birthday, the UFC on
the White House lawn. More importantly, as I've said earlier,
he broken the peace deal. That was good. How's it
being viewed in America?

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Good day, Jamie. It depends on your age if some
of the events of yesterday depends on your age. But
if you're young like my three sons, they were excited
about the UFC fights on the south lawn of of

(00:43):
the White House, but my wife and I weren't impressed
by that. But as far as the peace deal, everyone
is pleased to hopefully we're all holding our breath to
see if this actually holds, but to see this happen.
But today, a day later, some of the details are
coming out, and so there's a lot of complaints now

(01:05):
about that we spent taxpayer money to blow the place up,
and now three hundred billion has been promised to go
back and fix it back. And so that's some of
the pushback that's happening today is is just complaints about
why did we do that? In the first place, and
now we're having to pay to fix the place back up.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Yeah, you kind of get the feeling it was a
war that didn't need to happen.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Oh. Absolutely. And there's a Kentucky representative he just lost
his race for Congress, but he's a Republican and he
said recently that we promised to do all these things
as Republicans. And we've got into the Oval Office where

(01:51):
sent it. In the House, we hold both of those
and we've not done any of these things. And one
of those things was no wars. And here we are.
And so even in the last couple of days it
came out that we're now lurking around down in somewhere
in South America doing something. So it's the American people

(02:14):
want to just doesn't sound good, but focus on ourselves.
That leaves all these other people alone.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
I know it's very early days, but have you seen
any relief at a gas station as you guys call it.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yes, all do in Kentucky. Several states have already done this,
but the state taxes that were put on gas. Our
governor a few weeks ago paused those taxes to help
with the costs at the pumps. So compared to places
like California, our gas prices have been pretty good to

(02:48):
begin with. But yes, today gas is three dollars and
forty five cents a gallon US gallon US dollars. We're
getting better, but we were three dollars or below before
all of this started. Diesel is the worst. We're inverted

(03:10):
compared to you guys, But diesel has been around five
dollars for quite some time, and so that's for me
as a farmer, that's the part that's the most painful.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
Well, we weren't immune from that either. Hey, beef is
that record highs here?

Speaker 2 (03:24):
So is lamb.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
Let's start with beef. I'm assuming you guys are still
getting record prices in the States.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
We are, Yes, that's just going full boarhead. The retention
of heifer's for the most part, is not happening, and
part of it's had to do with there's we went
through some drought in Kentucky a month ago, but there's
more widespread drought out west, and so there's a lot

(03:54):
of selling off of cattle herds out west, and so
building back to herd is not happening at the moment,
and so the some speculation is these prices could continue,
maybe go higher. I don't see how that's possible as
a consumer, but yes, very strong prices.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
Do you know anyone at all who finds shape in
the States?

Speaker 2 (04:17):
Not Kentucky used to be a huge sheep state, but
because of predators coyotes in particular, we even had a
very small flock up until five years ago and eventually
he ended up selling them, but just because of the
predator issues. But out west in the US, there's some

(04:40):
nothing like you guys, but there's some decent sized flocks
out there, but predators for the most part prevent us
from raising livestock that's small. There's some goats in Kentucky,
but even that is problematic, especially with the coyotes. Thanks
for the aton, appreciate it. Thanks James,