After weeks of drought, recent downpours in Pickaway County have brought some relief to local farmers, including John Hoffman, who manages thousands of acres of soybeans. However, financial challenges persist.

The ongoing trade war with China, the largest buyer of U.S. soybeans, has severely impacted the market, causing soybean prices to plummet while production costs rise. “The price – the commodity price is very low,” Hoffman said, expressing concern over the economic fallout.

Former Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, now a Senate candidate, has made this issue a central focus of his campaign, advocating for an end to tariffs that affect Ohio farmers.

“We can’t do anything about the weather, can’t do anything about production, about yields that John has suffered from because of the drought. But we can’t, we shouldn’t, this shouldn’t be a U.S. government-induced problem,” Brown said.

The Trump administration may soon announce billions in aid for U.S. farmers, a move Brown supports. “I want to see farmers succeed. Some farmers, farms are going out of business sometimes because the government did stupid things over the last year. We’ve got to help them, period.”

Brown is running against Republican Senator Jon Husted, who was not available for an interview. A Husted spokesperson accused Brown of putting farmers last while in office.

“My record shows that I support Ohio’s farmers and consumers,” Husted’s statement said. “I voted for the working family tax cuts, which allows farmers and job creators to immediately expense investments in new factories, capital investments in machinery and equipment, and in research and development—all of which Democrats opposed.”

WSYX reached out to the Treasury Department, which blamed the ongoing government shutdown on the “radical left.”

“[The shutdown] has dramatically slowed progress on this critical issue. Their obstructionism won’t stop our Administration from working hard to deliver results for America’s farmers, and we look forward to sharing good news soon.”

Back in Ohio, Hoffman, who has supported Brown in the past, said he wants free trade to navigate the challenges posed by both nature and government policies.

“I’ve farmed for a bunch of years. I’ve seen ups and I’ve seen downs,” he said.