American Soybean Farmers Entangled in Trade Dispute

() As Beijing effectively boycotts soybean imports in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s tariffs imposed on Chinese goods, U.S. farmers tell they’re caught in the middle.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday the federal government would support American farmers in light of China’s refusal to buy soybeans and that an announcement would be made Tuesday.

“We’ve got their backs,” Bessent said on CNBC. He said the administration would work with the Farm Credit Bureau to make sure farmers have what they need.

But farmers who spoke with said that would only be a temporary fix.

“The American farmer, especially myself included, don’t want aid payments,” said Indiana soybean and corn farmer Brian Warpup. “We want to work. We work the land. We harvest the land. The worst thing that we could ever want is a handout.”

Grant Senesac, a third-generation Illinois farmer offered a similar appraisal of the situation.

“It sucks. We’re going to have a record, probably a record bean crop since I’ve started farming, and we’re not going to get hardly anything for it. It’s just kind of sad, you know,” he said. “And then, when you’re hearing about a check from the government, you’re like, ‘Well, you know, I want to be paid off of the job and the quality that I’ve done, not hoping for the best and thinking the best. It’s one of those things where we wish we had record yields with high prices. So that way we don’t have to get a bailout.”

After Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese goods, China responded with tariffs of its own, which now total up to 34% on U.S. soybeans. That makes soybeans from other countries cheaper.

China’s retaliatory tariffs also hit U.S. growers of sorghum, corn and cotton, and even geoduck divers have been affected. But soybeans stand out because of the crop’s outsized importance to U.S. agricultural exports. Soybeans are the top U.S. food export, accounting for about 14% of all farm goods sent overseas.

China has been by far the largest foreign buyer. Last year, the U.S. exported nearly $24.5 billion worth of soybeans, and China accounted for more than $12.5 billion. That compares with $2.45 billion by the European Union, the second-largest buyer. This year, China hasn’t bought beans since May.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.