Soybean farmers across Missouri and Kansas say they’re bracing for another financial hit as the ongoing trade war between the United States and China deepens.It’s harvest season, and many farmers are in the fields collecting beans or preparing to do so. But this year, the concern isn’t just about weather or yields: it’s about buyers.China, the world’s largest purchaser of soybeans, hasn’t bought any from the United States since May due to renewed tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.Analysts say it’s not the first time Midwest soybean farmers have been caught in the fallout of global trade disputes. A similar wave of tariffs in 2018 led to massive losses across the region as China shifted its business elsewhere.Gbenga Ajilore, former senior advisor for rural development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said China has already built long-term alternatives.“China started purchasing from Brazil and, to a little extent, Argentina,” Ajilore said. “So when they went back to purchasing, they didn’t go back to the same level. The same thing is happening here, where they have these other alternatives for getting soybeans from Brazil. And the big thing is that Argentina just recently dropped its export taxes, which gives China even more incentive not to purchase from us.”Local farmers and leaders with the Kansas Soybean Association say the shift is already being felt across rural communities, where soybean exports play a major role in the local economy.
Soybean farmers across Missouri and Kansas say they’re bracing for another financial hit as the ongoing trade war between the United States and China deepens.
It’s harvest season, and many farmers are in the fields collecting beans or preparing to do so.
But this year, the concern isn’t just about weather or yields: it’s about buyers.
China, the world’s largest purchaser of soybeans, hasn’t bought any from the United States since May due to renewed tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Analysts say it’s not the first time Midwest soybean farmers have been caught in the fallout of global trade disputes.
A similar wave of tariffs in 2018 led to massive losses across the region as China shifted its business elsewhere.
Gbenga Ajilore, former senior advisor for rural development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said China has already built long-term alternatives.
“China started purchasing from Brazil and, to a little extent, Argentina,” Ajilore said. “So when they went back to purchasing, they didn’t go back to the same level. The same thing is happening here, where they have these other alternatives for getting soybeans from Brazil. And the big thing is that Argentina just recently dropped its export taxes, which gives China even more incentive not to purchase from us.”
Local farmers and leaders with the Kansas Soybean Association say the shift is already being felt across rural communities, where soybean exports play a major role in the local economy.