U.S. soybean farmers and beef exporters are sounding the alarm as tariffs squeeze trade with the Chinese mainland, driving once-loyal buyers to rivals in Brazil and Australia.
Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows the Chinese mainland hasn't purchased a single U.S. soybean shipment since May, even though it bought $12.5 billion worth in 2024 – more than half of total American exports that year. Seven years before the trade war, U.S. soy made up 60 percent of the Chinese mainland's imports.
“This is a five-alarm fire for our industry,” warns Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association. Farmers report losing $100 to $200 per acre this season, says Jennifer Fahy, co-executive director of Farm Aid. “These aren't economic blips but potentially long-term market losses due to ricocheting tariffs.”
On the beef front, U.S. shipments to the Chinese mainland, once valued at about $120 million a month, collapsed after permits at hundreds of American meat facilities expired in March. From April to August, exports were $388 million lower than the two-year average, while Australian and Brazilian deliveries surged by $313 million and even more, respectively.
“The beef impasse with the Chinese mainland has very little to do with beef,” says Joe Schuele of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. “It's entangled in other issues between Washington and Beijing. Progress on those fronts could unlock a path forward.”
As U.S. producers face mounting losses, the push for lasting trade agreements has never been more urgent. For young global citizens, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, this evolving story highlights how geopolitics and policy can reshape markets overnight – and why diversified, resilient strategies are key in a connected world.
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U.S. soybean farmers, beef exporters reel as tariffs choke China trade
cgtn.com
