Riots and More

June 4, 2020

Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the National Corn Growers Association, CropLife America, and Renewable Fuels Association. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.

And now for today’s commentary –

I thought 2020 would be just a normal year. But – no. We were hit by the corona
pandemic, and that wasn’t enough. Suddenly a white police officer killed a black man named
George Floyd. As I watched the cell phone details on tv, I think it could be judged to be murder.
So did millions from coast to coast. Maybe I should not be surprised, but people across the
country rose up in anger. We have been watching riots, destruction, vandalism and looting.
Vehicles and buildings burned. The protestors are calling for social justice. In Minneapolis, the
city where George Floyd was killed, more than 300 small and large businesses have been looted
and destroyed. It’s terrible what happened to George Floyd. Yes – I know there is a level of
racism and discrimination in our country. However, that does not justify destroying small
businesses. Family businesses that have worked so hard and financially lived through the
coronavirus – ready to open up for business. They have been shut down for 3 months, hoping to
survive economically.

The unacceptable death of George Floyd should have resulted in peaceful demonstrations
not the violence and destruction that we see. Why do the cities allow all this to happen?
Obviously, they weren’t prepared. No one was. If we are a nation that accepts the rule of law, I
hope we will deal with any racism in our police force. Don’t forget a strong police force are
there to keep us safe. All these big riots are in liberal democratic cities. Maybe they need to
implement some reform in their police force. Here are some issues that the ag industry cares
about.

1. Growing Hemp. If you want to get in that business, be sure you have a plan and a market because many companies are going bankrupt.

2. Meat packing companies have gone back to work, but they still can’t keep up with the supply of market animal.

3. I talked about it a few weeks ago. Thanks to USDA, most food stamp recipients can now get their groceries online.

4. I was afraid our Phase 1 trade deal with China would be trashed as a result of U.S. conflict with China over China’s new National Security Trade Law for Hong Kong. But for now, our trade agreement is still in place.

Until next week, this John Block reporting from Washington, D.C. If you would like to review my radio shows going back more than 20 years, just go on-line to www.johnblockreports.com.