(NewsNation) — Some American farmers have said President Donald Trump’s tariffs are negatively impacting their bottom lines.
Export loss is a significant factor, as the American Soybean Association says China hasn’t placed an order since May. Soybeans are a moneymaker in the United States, with China buying nearly $13 billion worth last year.
Now in peak season, those Chinese-based orders have not been coming in. Instead, China is buying from Brazil, hitting record sales.
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“I’m not optimistic that China is going to come back and buy in droves, which is really what we need,” said Iowa farmer David Weaver. “China has been our best soybean customer for years, for decades. And when your best customer starts having doubts, then that isn’t good for the farm economy.”
Agricultural policy experts have said those markets may be gone for good, even if tariffs are lifted.
At the same time, fertilizer costs now make up a third of farm expenses, adding to what the national corn growers call a “calamitous environment.”
“Fertilizer and seed and diesel fuel, all of these things have just about tripled in price, and I’m selling my commodity for the same thing I was in the ’80s. I’ve never seen anything like this, and it’s all due to the president’s tariffs,” said John Boyd, founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association.
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Boyd is a fourth-generation farmer in Baskerville, Virginia, where he grows soybeans, corn and wheat on his more than 1000-acre farm.
“This is a bad time to be a farmer in this country financially because we’re struggling,” Boyd said.
Republicans from farm states have been loyal to Trump, but some have warned that their constituents are facing troubles.
Hundreds of Arkansas farmers attended a town hall meeting last week to request emergency federal funding as they faced bankruptcy and foreclosure.
More than 260 national and state farm organizations sent a letter to congressional leaders Thursday to take up and pass legislation for farm programs not included in Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax and spending bill.
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As harvest season arrives, farm lobbyists have said their patience is running out.
The current farm bill expires at the end of this month.
House Agriculture Committee chair Glenn Thompson told Agri-Pulse Newsmakers last week he wants to take committee action on Farm Bill 2.0 this month and is eyeing farm aid payments funded through tariff revenue.
In 2018 and 2019, the Department of Agriculture provided direct payments to farmers and producers of agricultural products impacted by trade disruptions and retaliatory tariffs, particularly from China, under the Market Facilitation Program.
Boyd said farmers need a solid market to sell their goods more than they need government payments.
“It seems as though it should help, but by the time we get it, it’s a fraction of what we really lost every time,” Boyd said.
