China Halts U.S. Soybean Buys

America’s soybean farmers are facing a crisis unseen in modern industry—China, the largest buyer of U.S. soybeans, has bought zero American soybeans this harvest season, effectively shuttering a market worth over $12.5 billion last year.

Industry Alarm and Firsthand Concern

“This is a five-alarm fire for our industry,” said Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association, as farmers across the Midwest wonder how to sell a bumper crop now unwelcome in its biggest historical destination.

Mike Langseth, a North Dakota farmer, described the anxiety: “It was hard to pencil in a profit. It was hard to see how we were going to be able to continue operating because you look at the numbers, and it was a loss, and it was going to be one until China came back to buying at least some soybeans.”

Chad Hart, agricultural economist at Iowa State University, noted, “To have them on the sidelines right now is a major problem, especially because prices were already fairly low … profit margins were already probably in negative territory. So this just adds to the financial issues that farmers are facing as they get ready to go into harvest.”

Farmer Dan Schaefer from Illinois added, “We planted more beans with the expectation of a steady market. But with China gone, we’re staring down a tough year—storage costs are rising and local buyers can only handle so much.”

Bottom Line for Farmers and Markets

The new marketing year began September 1, yet China has not procured any American soybeans since May. Retaliatory tariffs now amount to a 34% tax burden on U.S. beans, rendering them uncompetitive beside South American supply and accelerating China’s pivot to Brazil and Argentina.

Still, industry leaders point out that there are reasons for cautious optimism. U.S. exporters are working to expand shipments to alternative markets such as Mexico, Egypt, and the European Union, which collectively represent billions in annual soybean purchases, according to the Iowa Farm Bureau. Domestically, new demand is rising as renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel initiatives are projected by USDA to nearly double U.S. soybean oil use by 2026. At the policy level, federal leaders are discussing relief measures similar to past Market Facilitation Programs that stabilized farm income during previous trade disputes, Reuters has reported. And history shows that markets can reopen—after the 2018 trade war, China resumed soybean purchases within two years, Farm Progress noted.

Political Response and Outlook

President Donald Trump said the administration is considering an aid package, promising, “We’re going to allocate some of the tariff revenue… and provide some support to the farmers during this transition period.”

On the Chinese side, officials have been blunt: “Concerning soybean trade, the United States should take constructive measures to eliminate the associated unreasonable tariffs, thereby creating a framework for enhancing bilateral trade,” said Commerce Ministry spokesperson He Yadong.

The coming months will test the strength of farm families, but American growers have always been resilient. Even in the face of uncertainty, their grit and adaptability remain the industry’s greatest asset — and the best reason to believe that brighter markets will come again.