Soybean Farmers Warn they ‘Cannot Survive’ China Trade War

By Ryan Hanrahan

Bloomberg’s Isis Almeida reported Tuesday that “US soybean farmers are near a ‘trade and financial precipice’ and cannot survive a prolonged trade war with China. That’s the warning from Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association. In a letter to President Donald Trump dated Tuesday, he urged the administration to reach a deal with China to remove duties and, if possible, include significant soybean purchases.”

“‘US soybean farmers cannot survive a prolonged trade dispute with our largest customer,’ he said,” according to Almeida’s reporting. “‘Soybean farmers are under extreme financial stress. Prices continue to drop and at the same time our farmers are paying significantly more for inputs and equipment.'”

“In an email statement to Bloomberg News, the White House said the president cares about farmers,” Almeida reported. “‘President Trump will continue to open markets and level the playing field for American farmers to ensure they can sell as many made-in-America products as possible,’ White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly wrote.”

Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher reported that Ragland’s “letter was accompanied by an 11-page white paper laying out the export situation facing soybean growers. …The letter and white paper note that the Chinese duty on U.S. soybeans is 20% higher than the tariff on South American soybeans, keeping the U.S. crop ‘prohibitively expensive.'”

“China has not purchased any U.S. soybeans for the months ahead as we quickly approach harvest. The further into the autumn we get without reaching an agreement with China on soybeans, the worse the impacts will be on U.S. soybean farmers,’ the letter says,” according to Brasher’s reporting.

“The white paper notes that at this time of the year China has normally ordered about 14% of its expected purchases of U.S. soybeans. Going into the 2022 harvest, China had ordered 27% of its purchases,” Brasher reported. “‘China imported record volumes of Brazilian soybeans between April and July 2025, growing domestic stockpiles of soymeal to the point at which Chinese soybean processors are facing negative margins,’ the white paper says. ‘In early August 2025, traders announced a first-time export sale of Argentine soymeal to China to be delivered this fall to reassure Chinese feed mill buyers anxious about hog feed availability amid the ongoing trade dispute.'”