China commits to purchasing at least $17 billion a year in farming products, but other agreements aren't as clear.

China's $17 million farming purchase commitment is 
good news for U.S. producers. (Adobe Stock photo)

In some good news for American farmers, following President Donald Trump's summit last week with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a White House fact sheet confirmed that China agreed to purchase "at least $17 billion in U.S. agricultural products annually through 2028, in addition to soybean commitments already agreed to," reports Ari Hawkins of Politico. The announcement is among "the few concrete deliverables" from last week's summit.

Beyond its agriculture purchase commitment, the White House said Beijing has "renewed expired registrations for more than 400 U.S. beef facilities and added new listings," Hawkins writes. "A move aimed at widening market access for American farmers." Additionally, China will now accept U.S. poultry imports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirms are free of avian influenza.

The summit included agreement on several other issues, but the specific engagement between the two countries on topics such as Iran remained vague. For instance, "Both countries agreed Iran cannot get ahold of a nuclear weapon," Hawkins reports. They also agreed that the "Strait of Hormuz shipping corridor should reopen, and that no country or group should be allowed to charge tolls."

The White House fact sheet didn't include details on how, or even whether, the countries planned to work together to resolve issues with Iran's nuclear capability or its blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.

Although President Trump noted that tariffs were not discussed at the summit, that "appears to contradict a statement from China’s commerce ministry, which said the two sides had reached a preliminary agreement to reduce some tariffs and also confirmed agricultural and aircraft deals, though it did not provide specifics," Hawkins adds. "Trump and Xi are expected to meet as many as four times this year."

Drug cartels turn to a synthetic opioid 100 times stronger than fentanyl, 'killing hundreds of unsuspecting drug users'

The chemical makeup of carfentanil. The drug is legally used to  
anesthetize large animals such as elephants and rhinoceroses. 

Carfentanil is a deadly "weapons-grade" synthetic opioid that illicit drug makers are adding to other drugs as a potent substitute for fentanyl. The drug, which authorities say is "10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl, has seen a drastic resurgence across the U.S., killing hundreds of unsuspecting drug users," report Hallie Golden and Jim Mustian of The Associated Press.

Carfentanil's presence in illegal drugs sold in the U.S. has surged since the Chinese government's more recent "crackdown on the sale of precursors used to make fentanyl," AP reports. "Those regulations are likely prompting traffickers in Mexico to use carfentanil to boost the potency of a weakened version of fentanyl."

The sheer potency of carfentanil is what makes it so dangerous for anyone who takes drugs not prescribed by their doctor. Frank Tarentino, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief of operations for its northeast region, which stretches from Maine to Virginia, told AP, "You’re talking about not even a grain of salt that could be potentially lethal. This presents an extremely frightening proposition."

While some Mexican drug cartels may be making carfentanil in their own labs, others are purchasing it from darknet marketplaces. Regardless of where it originates, it's making its way onto American streets. Golden and Mustian write, "In 2025, DEA labs identified carfentanil 1,400 times in U.S. drug seizures, compared with 145 in 2023 and only 54 in 2022."

Russia used an aerosol form of carfentanil as a chemical weapon to subdue Chechen separatists in 2002, AP reports. It is legally used to anesthetize large animals, such as elephants.

Michael King Jr., founder of the Opioid Awareness Foundation, told AP, “It’s like a biological weapon. If the world thinks we had a problem with fentanyl, that’s minute compared to what we’re going to be dealing with with carfentanil.”

Ag round-up: Nearly 70% of farmers can't afford fertilizer; union and JBS reach deal; real help for stressed farmers

Share of farmers unable to afford all required fertilizer. (American Farm Bureau Federation graph)

Nearly 70% of American farmers report they can't afford all the fertilizer they need this season because of increased input prices due to the war in Iran and an already stressed farm economy, according to an April survey of 5,700 farmers by the American Farm Bureau Federation. "Farmers in the Southern region reported the greatest difficulty securing fertilizer, with 78% unable to afford all needed inputs this season," reports Faith Parum of AFBF. "Producers in the Northeast and West also reported significant challenges, with 69% and 66%, respectively, unable to afford all required fertilizer, compared to 48% in the Midwest.”

In an effort to drill down into why fertilizer prices have increased so dramatically since 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is "working with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission on ongoing investigations into fertilizer and other agricultural input costs," reports Chris Clayton of Progressive Farmer. USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden has "continued his criticisms about concentration in the fertilizer industry, calling out The Mosaic Company for announcing it will close phosphorus mines in Brazil. . . . Vaden argued the global market is signaling a need for more supply -- not less. He questioned why a major producer would scale back output under those conditions."

The Greeley plant can process roughly 6,000
cattle per day. (Photo by L. Angharad) 

The local union representing roughly 3,800 beef plant workers in Greeley, Colorado, and meatpacking giant JBS announced a new labor contract agreement early this week, reports Patrick Thomas of The Wall Street Journal. Beef plant workers went on strike on March 16, "seeking higher wages and other workplace changes. . . . The Colorado plant can slaughter about 6,000 cattle a day, representing roughly 5% of U.S. beef-processing capacity." The new agreement includes worker wage increases through 2027 and protects employees from having to pay for their own required protective equipment. The last slaughterhouse strike happened at a Minnesota Hormel plant in 1985. 

Despite the multiple pain points for American soybean farmers in 2026, some of the rising input costs and sinking soybean prices have evolved over the past several years -- only to be exacerbated by tariff levies and the war with Iran, report Eric Ferkenhoff of Lee Enterprises and Josh Kelety of The Associated Press. "Costs, such as equipment, have crept up over time while soybean prices have stayed low." Doug Bartek, a fifth-generation farmer, told reporters, "Our biggest struggles are our inputs, be it fertilizer, seed, chemical or parts. There has been so much drastic markup in all of these. And I just kind of feel like the farmer’s kind of painted in the corner." Many Midwest soybean producers share Bartek’s worries.

Real Farmer Care wants to give farmers the means to
care for themselves. (Graphic by A. Dixon, Offrange)

Are you a farmer in need of some downtime? Do you know a stressed-out farmer who might be forgetting to care for themselves because they're tending to everything else? If either answer is yes, consider nominating yourself or another farmer-in-need-of-care for one of Real Farmer Care's $200 microgrants, writes Nicole Caruth for Offrange. "Think a stress-relieving massage, a pair of sturdy work boots, or just a dinner outing with friends. The grants are small, but can potentially have a big impact." From squeezing tariffs to eye-popping fertilizer costs, U.S. farmers are having a rough year. The brief nomination form is here. 

A prairie town in Oklahoma is slated to become the country's biggest aluminum producer

The Inola smelter is expected to produce 750,000 tonnes 
of aluminum per year. (Modern Metals photo)

"Hay Capital of the World" is how many residents of Inola, Oklahoma, describe their small town of roughly 1,800 people. But these locals could "soon have another moniker to consider: America’s Aluminum Epicenter," reports Ryan Dezember of The Wall Street Journal. The prairie town was "selected as the site for the first new aluminum smelter in the U.S. since 1980. Construction is expected to cost more than $4 billion and begin by year-end. It is expected to employ about 1,000 workers once complete."

Over the past 50 years, the U.S. relinquished its dominance in primary aluminum production to China, as American producers closed their smelters amid rising electricity costs. Dezember adds, "A smelter can consume as much power as a large U.S. city."

Currently, U.S. businesses import most of their aluminum. The country has "just four smelters [that] make the primary aluminum necessary in many defense and aerospace applications," Dezember writes. "The planned smelter would more than double the U.S.’s smelting capacity."

 

Before choosing the Inola site, Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) and Chicago-based Century Aluminum, the two companies behind the smelter project, considered "45 sites in more than two dozen states," Dezember reports. "Electricity costs, which make up more than one-third of production expenses, were paramount."

McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, in green, is the 
most westerly inland river system in the U.S. (ODOT map)

In addition to affordable electricity from natural gas and hydropower, the Inola location offered "business-friendly regulation, an ice-free port deep inland, as well as an aerospace industry and other big aluminum consumers," Dezember explains. The Inola smelter site is also near the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, which connects New Orleans to the Great Plains by way of the Mississippi River.

EGA and Century Aluminum say the smelter "will take at least three years to build," Dezember reports. Once completed, the smelter is expected to run for decades.

A Chinese-owned glass plant in Ohio is 'clobbering' its American competitors

Despite the economic boost that foreign investment can bring U.S. manufacturing, its outcomes can sometimes have negative consequences when a foreign-owned company "clobbers" its longtime American-owned competitor. 

"The rise of a Chinese automotive-glass plant in the Ohio heartland shows the risks when America’s biggest rival sets up shop," reports Gavin Bade of The Wall Street Journal.

Over the past decade, Fuyao Glass America has chipped away at its competitor's edge. "Vitro, the company that owns a plant in Crestline, Ohio, has spent the past year considering whether to shut down," Bade writes. "Fuyao is threatening about 250 jobs at the rival glass factory [that has been] operating since the 1950s."

When Chinese automotive glass maker, Fuyao, partnered with state and federal lawmakers to move into an abandoned General Motors factory in tiny Moraine, Ohio, the project "was hailed as a step to reviving a battered Rust Belt region," Bade explains. Ohio taxpayers, who supported Fuyao's move into the region, "now feel duped," according to the report.

Since 2019, Vitro has "shut three auto-glass plants in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Indiana — decisions the company attributes in large part to Chinese competition," Bade reports. American companies like Vitro say they can't compete with Fuyao's pricing and accuse the company of unfair business and labor practices.

A federal raid on the Fuyao plant in 2024 led U.S. authorities to accuse dozens of Chinese business owners of colluding "to facilitate the harboring, transportation, and employment of illegal aliens at various factories,” including Fuyao, which allegedly funneled $126 million to companies in the scheme," Bade writes.

"Fuyao denies any wrongdoing," Bade adds. "Vitro and its Washington allies say Fuyao’s success reflects a way Beijing might try to hollow out American manufacturing capacity and undermine critical industries."

As the U.S. struggles to define its international trade policies, China and South America move forward together

A direct trade route from the Port of Chancay, Peru, to Shanghai, China, decreases 
transit time and lowers costs. (Investigate Midwest map)

Despite the financial boost China's purchase of 12 million tons of soybeans gave some U.S. farmers this year, the shift in Beijing's trading partners doesn't bode well for future U.S. crop sales. China has spent the past decade fostering global relationships outside of trade with the U.S., with a particular focus on South America.

China has invested in nearly two dozen seaports throughout Latin American, which create a "logistics network to support China's growing trade with the region," reports Mónica Cordero of Investigate Midwest. "These seaport investments range from multi-billion-dollar deep-water terminals to smaller upgrades that improve rail links, storage capacity, and ship turnaround times."

COSCO Shipping, a Chinese state-owned company, has been investing in Peru's Pacific-facing Port of Chancay. "The $3.54 billion project marks a major expansion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative into Latin America," Cordero writes. "From Chancay, the promise is that ships will reach China faster, a critical advantage for agricultural products."

Many experts point to the U.S.-China trade war that began in 2018, during President Donald Trump's first term, as the reason China began shunning American agriculture. Cordero explains, "But since returning to office, the president has renewed that strategy, and China’s investments signal a generational shift that may not reverse if and when the trade war subsides."

Without sales to China, American soybean farmers are in a particularly vulnerable position. Cordero reports, "Nationwide, more than 270,000 farms grow soybeans. . . . In Illinois, nearly half of all farms depend on soybean production, and in Iowa and Minnesota, about four in 10 do." 

"As China establishes new trade routes across Latin America, every new port or shipping lane makes a future recovery for U.S. farmers more challenging," Cordero writes. April Hemmes, an Iowa soybean farmer, told Cordero, "The only way that we become their top choice would be if our soybeans were far cheaper than South America’s.”

Opinion: Skip the big deals; American farmers need a better way to trade

American farmers could benefit from small trade deals
with more countries. (Adobe Stock photo)

Throughout 2025, farm journals and mainstream news outlets published commentaries and new stories outlining how many American farmers don't want bailout or rescue payments. Instead, they want more markets from more countries and a seat at the trade-making table.

"We've been getting trade backward for farmers for 30 years," writes Brian Reisinger in his opinion for The Daily Yonder. "The issue is that since the 1990s, most American trade is a product of big deals with big countries (and often multiple at once, as with the North American Free Trade Agreement)." 

These big trade deals can encompass a vast array of decisions that often go beyond farming into "manufacturing, mining, technology," Reisinger explains. The broad spectrum of deals snuffs out the voice of U.S. farmers.

While NAFTA helped some American farmers by opening foreign markets to them, its changes hurt others. Reisinger adds, "Economists debate the effectiveness of those policies, but the skewed competition [can be] devastating."

This year's bumper soybean crop did little to help many American row-crop farmers, as China avoided U.S. purchases amid U.S.-China trade conflicts. The loss of their biggest customer highlighted "American dependence on China buying soybeans, rather than selling evenly across many markets," Reisinger writes.

A way to evolve and protect U.S. farmers is to de-emphasize big deals. Stephanie Mercier, an economist with the Farm Journal Foundation, said "negotiating on individual products with individual countries — many small deals rather than a few large ones across countless economic sectors — can reduce trade-offs," Reisinger writes.

Trading with multiple smaller countries would help ensure farmers have a voice in the trade process. Reisinger explains, "This could also increase American leverage for farmers, by negotiating with a wide range of countries that need America more, rather than a few big ones like China, or blocks like the European Union."

Quick hits: Mail is one of life's constants; China buys more beans; auctioneer school, federal firefighter payments

In the U.S., mail carriers are still beloved by many
Americans. (Adobe Stock photo)

Despite the U.S. Postal Service's ongoing financial and organizational struggles, U.S. Postal carriers remain beloved by many Americans. "With the Postal Service seemingly in jeopardy, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on the nation’s more than 500,000 postal employees," reports Steven Kurutz of The Washington Post. Stephen Starring Grant, a former postal worker, told the Post, "I was the face of the United States government for a lot of the people on my route. . . No matter what else is going wrong, you’re still getting your mail.”

As China's promised purchases of U.S. soybeans continue to be tracked, the country purchased "10 U.S. soybean cargoes this week," report Naveen Thukral and Ella Cao of Reuters. The update comes "as the world's top buyer continues purchasing from the United States following a late October trade truce. The cargoes, totalling around 600,000 metric tons, are for shipment between March and May, the traders said, which is the peak shipping season for rival supplier Brazil."

Auctioneer students come from far and wide to learn
at the Bozeman, Mont. school. (Adobe Stock photo)

It's all about pitch, tenor, cadence, body language and the ability to say "SOLD!" like you mean it. "Welcome to the Western College of Auctioneering in Bozeman, Mont., a major training ground for a profession that is critical to the sale of cars and cattle in America," reports Liza Weisstuch of The Wall Street Journal. "Since it was founded in 1948, the school has matriculated over 5,000 students, who also auction everything from real estate to farm equipment to fine art."

After years of avoiding and denying the harm toxic wildfire smoke can do to firefighters, some recompense has been made. Firefighters "will be eligible for a payment of nearly $450,000 and college tuition for their family if they die or become debilitated from a smoke-related cancer," reports Hannah Dreier of The New York Times. "The legislation, which passed as part of a larger military spending bill, requires that some 20 smoke-related cancers be automatically treated as line-of-duty injuries or deaths for all firefighters who work for public agencies."

As 2025 moves into the rearview mirror, it still warms the heart to hear all the good things that happened before 2026 came marching in. Across the globe, some wondrous stuff happened. The U.S. neared completion of the "world’s most ambitious oyster reef restoration in the Chesapeake Bay, with more than 1,700 acres of reefs now revitalized," reports Reasons to Be Cheerful. "Over 120,000 'hedgehog highways' now connect about 240,000 gardens across the U.K. . . .Yemen now has an estimated 1.3 million beehives, some 100,000 more than three years ago." Read 97 good things here.

Trump announces $12 billion in farm aid, but many farmers don't think bailout checks address bigger challenges

American farmers need more markets. (USDA photo)

The Trump administration announced a $12 billion aid package for U.S. farmers hurt by the president's “long-reaching tariffs,” report Brian Schwartz, Natalie Andrews and Patrick Thomas for The Wall Street Journal. “Much of the aid —$11 billion— will be in the form of one-time payments through the Farmer Bridge Assistance program.” 

International tariff wars, particularly those between the U.S. and China, have contributed to a financially challenging year for American farmers, with soybean farmers bearing the largest losses. “Crop prices have remained low, especially after harvesting the largest crop on record this fall,” Schwartz explains. “Through the first nine months of 2025, farm bankruptcies rose by nearly 50% compared with the same period in 2024.”

Although many farmers need the additional funds to pay down debt and invest in next year’s planting, many see them as a short-term solution. Erin Ailworth, Ilena Peng and Michael Hirtzer of Bloomberg News report, “Growers who have struggled with low crop prices, rising costs, and lost markets, [have called] Trump’s farm aid a temporary fix for deeper economic challenges.”

Missouri farmer Marty Richardson told Bloomberg, “This is kind of a Band-Aid — we need more markets more than we need aid.”

While U.S. soybean farmers suffered from a summer and fall without sales to China, presumably due to Trump’s tariffs, many know the country has been working for years to reduce its dependence on American soybeans. Bloomberg reports, “Trump’s first trade war resulted in China accelerating a diversion of its supply chain away from the U.S. to places like South America. U.S. farmers have lost crucial market share to competitors, particularly Brazil.”

Some American growers don’t think 2026 will be any better than this year. Sam Taylor, a farm inputs analyst, told Bloomberg, “This time next year, we’re going to be having much the same conversation about margins for growers, about the potential need for economic support.”

Farmers can start applying for the aid package next month. WSJ reports, "Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that the money will start going out at the end of February." 

After a long wait by American farmers, China purchases U.S. soybeans for the first time since January

The loss of Chinese soybean sales over the summer 
caused U.S. soy prices to plummet. (Adobe Stock photo)

After months of giving American soybean farmers the cold shoulder, China purchased 14 cargoes of U.S. soybeans earlier this week. Karl Plume of Reuters reports, "It's the largest purchase since at least January and the most significant since a summit between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping in October." 

Although soybeans from South America are significantly cheaper, Beijing purchased U.S. beans to "meet the pledges it made to Washington at the trade summit in Busan, South Korea," Plume explains. "The White House said China had agreed to buy 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans this year." That's less than half of what China purchased -- roughly 27 million tons -- of U.S. soy in 2024.

 

The purchase marks a positive shift in U.S.-China trade relations, after a summer of tariff wars between the two countries, which led China to skip U.S. soybeans and instead purchase millions of tons of soy from Brazil and Argentina. 

 

The loss of Chinese soy purchases over the summer caused U.S. soy prices to tank, hurting American farmers already under stress from high costs and income insecurity. China bought nearly half of all U.S. soybeans in 2024.

 

Jim Sutter, chief executive officer of the U.S. Soybean Export Council, told Reuters, "It is good to see the hard work of our U.S. trade negotiators and their Chinese counterparts turning into business for U.S. soy farmers and exporters. We look forward to this continuing as trade lanes are restored." 

Farmer opinion: 'The pain has spread far beyond my fields. Every person and business in rural America is feeling it.'

U.S. farmers sold nearly half of nation's 2024 soybean crop
to China. (Adobe Stock photo)

Even with a relief package, U.S. farmers can't recoup losses from the U.S.-China tariff war. "We’re on the verge of the nation’s worst farm crisis since the 1980s," writes Mark Heckman in his opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal. Promises from China to "buy a 'tremendous' amount of soybeans, as President Trump put it, aren’t good enough either. We want fair trade."

American farmers sold $12.6 billion in soybeans to China in 2024, which equals roughly half of the soybeans grown in the U.S. But in retaliation against Trump's 2025 tariffs, China snubbed U.S. farmers and bought billions of bushels of beans from South American countries. Heckman writes, "Most of mine will sit unsold in a warehouse."

He said the media often describe "potential relief payments to American soybean farmers as a 'bailout.' I see it as a slap in the face," Heckman adds. "The money won’t come close to making up for the hurt in farm country. . . . The pain has spread far beyond my fields. . . . Every person and business in rural America is feeling it."

"Meanwhile, Trump is boasting," Heckman writes. "Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s elaboration on Trump’s promise from China — feels hollow. What happens if the Chinese don’t come through? More tariffs causing more pain to American farmers like me."

Border taxes serve "no financial purpose if the federal government simply intends to redistribute the money it collects," Heckmans explains. "It turns self-sufficient producers into supplicants pleading for subsidies. . . .The government should get out of American farmers’ way and allow market forces to work. Don’t give us handouts. Let us sell what we grow to the people who want to buy it, at home and abroad."

Mark Heckman is a hog, cattle, corn and soybean farmer who serves as vice chairman of the Global Farmer Network.

China plans to purchase soybeans from this year's harvest and return its bean spending to previous levels

China plans to purchase U.S. soybeans from this year's 
harvest. (Adobe Stock photo)

After months of zero soybean sales to China, a trade deal announced between the U.S. and China will bring some relief to U.S. soybean farmers. 

"China has pledged to return its purchases of U.S. soybeans to regular levels in each of the next three years, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent," reports Ben Berkowitz of Axios. Last year, China purchased roughly half of all U.S. soybeans, which totaled about $13 billion.

Despite China's purchase of soybeans from Argentina in September and October, Bessent's announcement included purchase details for this year's U.S. harvest. "Bessent said China pledged to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans from U.S. farmers this season."

While the final terms of the agreement have not been disclosed, it appears that "China’s purchases of farm products will revert to what it imported before Trump retook office and initiated a new trade war," reports Alan Rappeport of The New York Times.

The sale of soybeans from this year's crop will bring some financial stability to farming families who were already operating on razor-thin margins due to high input costs and low commodity prices. Rappeport explains, "The loss of China as a buyer of soybeans and other American farm products raised fears in rural America that a 1980s-style farm crisis was looming and that many farms could go bankrupt."

On top of China's soybean purchase, Bessent said that "other countries in Southeast Asia had also agreed to buy an additional 19 million metric tons of American soybeans," Rapppeport writes. "He did not specify over what time frame those purchases would occur, but said that overall, President Trump had delivered for the farmers."

U.S. soybean farmers panic over lack of sales to China

Some U.S. soybean farmers will store, instead of sell,
this year's crop. (Photo by Mark Serafino, Unsplash)

U.S. farmers haven’t sold beans to China, and soybean growers are sounding the alarm. "American soybean farmers are in panic mode as they harvest what is expected to be a bumper crop," reports Patrick Thomas of The Wall Street Journal. "China accounted for more than half of the $24.5 billion of American soybean exports last year."

By snubbing American soybeans and purchasing South American-grown beans instead, China is once again using U.S. farmer strife as a way to punish the Trump administration's trade wars. Thomas adds, "From January through August of this year, Chinese buyers purchased just over 200 million bushels of U.S. soybeans, compared with almost 1 billion bushels over the same period last year."

Even before China opted not to purchase U.S. soybeans, American farmers were already struggling with high costs for equipment, labor and fertilizer. "Congress in December passed a $10 billion bailout for farmers," Thomas wrote. "President Trump said on Monday that he was 'going to do some farm stuff this week' to help growers cope with the loss of exports to China."

Meanwhile, some soybean growers are choosing to store their harvested crops for now. Iowa soybean grower Morey Hill told Thomas, “There’s no incentive to sell right now." Hill predicted that without sales to China, the soybean market could likely turn into a "blood bath."

Instead of waiting on China, Hill has been traveling to countries such as Cambodia and Morocco, working to educate farmers on the benefits of using U.S. soybeans in their fish and animal feed, which is what China does with the majority of its soybeans.

The European Union, Mexico, Vietnam, Egypt and Bangladesh also purchase U.S. soybeans, but those sales, even when combined, aren't enough.

Opinion: Annual harvests in Ohio turned into a 'mess' by trade wars, low prices and sky-high input costs

China hasn't purchased a single soybean from
the U.S. in 2025. (Adobe Stock photo)

 

Despite better weather and decent crop production, many American farmers face extreme financial distress due to tariffs, sinking commodity prices and the lack of trade with China. 

For row crop farmers in Ohio, the tariffs and expenses have turned their annual harvest time into a "mess" riddled with financial loss and insecurity, writes Marilou Johanek in her opinion for the Ohio Capital Journal.

"Some growers have called the fallout from President Donald Trump's chaotic trade war, and the reciprocal tariffs it provoked, a 'farmageddon' that could ruin what made rural America great," Johanek explains.

While some U.S. farmers were not surprised that China's response to American tariffs was to snub U.S. soybeans, the pain is being felt by farmers nationwide, including those who don't trade with China. Johanek explains, "Farmers felt the same creeping despair with the tariff debacle of 2018 when Trump first slapped punitive tariffs on crucial exporters of American crops."

Ohio farmer Chris Gibbs, who left the GOP after 2018 tariffs caused China to increase its farming trade with South America, told Johanek, "We’re back in the same situation, but only worse. In the major commodities, corn, wheat, soybeans, sorghum, rice, cotton, prices are below the cost of production, so there’s built-in loss."

Beyond too few trading partners, farmers face soaring input costs. Johanek writes, "Senseless tariffs on fertilizer, steel, aluminum, and lumber just sent the cost of doing business through the roof. . . . Trump tariffs are especially painful for family farms that make up about 87% of all farms in Ohio."

Farmers and the agricultural industry impact job and business sectors throughout the U.S. and contribute roughly $9.5 trillion, or nearly 20%, to the national economy.

Agriculture economists say farming recession, trade without China causing 'severe' financial squeeze

Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor graph

Agriculture economists share a bleak outlook for American farmers."The financial squeeze gripping row crop agriculture is only growing more severe, according to the latest Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor. As of September, 91% think the U.S. crops sector is in a recession, which is an all-time high for the anonymous survey," reports Tyne Morgan of Farm Journal.

Without orders from China, low soybean sales continue to be the "biggest drag on the farm economy," Morgan explains. "In fact, 77% of economists surveyed say current U.S.-China trade policies are hurting farmers." More than half of experts surveyed think China will eventually purchase U.S. soybeans.

Morgan writes, "Ag lenders in some regions, such as the mid-South, warn farmers are experiencing the most financial stress since the 1980s."

Graph by Lindsey Pound, Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor

Looking ahead to next year, agricultural economists are divided. Morgan writes. "Fifty percent say it will be somewhat worse off or unchanged, while the other half expect the situation to slightly improve."

The Department of Agriculture plans to release its farm aid package sometime over the next two weeks. Morgan adds, "Sixty-two percent of surveyed economists said government direct payments benefit crop producers."

US-China trade war has hurt American soybean sales

American soybean farmers head into the harvest without
sales to China. (Photo by Daniela Paola Alchapar, Unsplash)

One quarter to a third of American soybean exports were purchased by China before the US-China trade wars began in 2018, Keith Bradsher from The New York Times reported.

Now American soybean exports to China have fallen to zero. China has boycotted buying the crop in retaliation of tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration on Chinese imports. China now buys soybeans from Brazil.

“The pain is being felt in Midwest states, especially Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. For the first time in many years, American farmers are preparing to harvest their crop this fall with no purchase orders from China,” Bradsher wrote.

Farmers in rural China are also facing the impact of the trade war.

Because of rising demand, soybeans can fetch higher prices, and thus some farmers in Heilongjiang Province (where the greatest output of soybeans in China comes from) are turning a profit.

However, the crop yield from Chinese soybean farmers in Heilongjiang Province is not enough to supply all of China, and many farmers in the area do not want to grow soybeans because it requires more effort and overall is less profitable than corn. At the same time, rural areas face labor shortages as the youth move to the cities for higher paying jobs.

Quick hits: Radioactive shrimp; soybean farmers seek deal; tractor pulls; veggie-flation; 515-mile lightning strike

Radioactive shrimp were recalled as a precautionary
measure. (ABC video graphic)

Earlier this week, the FDA issued an urgent recall for Indonesian shrimp sold at Walmart that may contain radioactive materials. "Certain Great Value raw frozen shrimp products sold at Walmart are being recalled due to possible contamination with Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope," reports Erin Keller of the Independent. FDA shrimp recall details are here.

With their fall harvests almost ready, American soybean farmers sent the Trump administration a letter asking for a trade deal with China. "China, the world's largest soybean buyer, is turning to Brazilian cargoes amid trade tensions with the U.S. and ongoing negotiations," reports Leah Douglas of Reuters. "The country has not pre-purchased soybeans from the upcoming U.S. harvest, an unusual delay that has worried traders and farmers. . . . China bought 54% of U.S. soybean exports in the 2023-2024 marketing year, worth $13.2 billion."

Langford's tractor pull has increased in popularity since
beginning in 1946. (Photo by Zach Jaworski, NPR)

Annual tractor and truck pulls have grown into major events for some rural communities. Little Langford, New York, hosts its tractor pull for two days every August. "Spectators gather on wooden bleachers flanking a long dirt runway, forming an arena that seats 4,000 people — more than the surrounding area's total population," reports Zach Jaworski of NPR. Richard Love, one of the officials at this year's Langford pull, told Jaworski, "It's non-stop action and it's just kind of a big party here." Jaworski adds, "This event in Langford has been held annually since 1946."

After U.S. Department of Labor agents zeroed in on the Marino family farm in New Jersey and uncovered a paperwork violation, they shackled the family's business with administrative red tape, fines and a ruling from a DOL court. Finally, after years of litigation, "a panel of independent federal judges unanimously ruled DOL’s actions in violation of the Constitution. . . and the Marinos were vindicated," reports Chris Bennett of Farm Journal. But the DOL's damage remains -- the Marino family farm that operated for 125 years is gone. Joe Marino told Bennett, "I never thought honesty and facts wouldn’t matter in America, but that’s what happened."

Chart by Axios, from Bureau of Labor data

As U.S. consumers watch the prices for essentials continue to fluctuate, produce costs could become the next budget worry. "Wholesale prices for fresh veggies soared by a record amount last month, foreshadowing a possible spike at the grocery store soon," reports Ben Berkowitz of Axios. "The Producer Price Index for July rose at the fastest clip in three years, far more than economists expected. . . . Per Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it's also the largest monthly increase ever recorded in a summer month (June-August), in figures that go back to 1947." 

A visualization of the megaflash that extended 515 miles, roughly the distance from Dallas to Kansas City, Mo. (Photo by Michael Peterson, GTRI via The Wall Street Journal)

The raw energy released in an average lightning bolt could power a small town for an entire day. With that in mind, consider the energy released during a recently detected lightning flash that zipped along the Great Plains in 2017. It was a "record-setting strike that lasted more than seven seconds and stretched 515 miles, from eastern Texas almost to Kansas City, Mo.," reports Eric Niiler of The Wall Street Journal. "The massive size of the megaflash, which touched ground in five states in 2017, was revealed by a new analysis of satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. . . . The average lightning strike is between 2 and 10 miles long."

WSJ EDITORIAL: Ukraine's drone attack is a 'wake-up call' to U.S. about potential vulnerability

Will an increase in defense spending enable the U.S. to close 
the gap in the drone market? (WSJ video snapshot)

Ukraine's recent drone strike battering of some 40 Russian aircraft, sitting unprotected deep inside that country's borders, serves as a warning to the U.S. about the vulnerability of American military bases and the homeland, writes The Wall Street Journal editorial board.

At least 77 U.S. military installations are strategically placed in rural towns and more are in cities with less than 40,000 residents. The editorial suggests that rural communities may want to pay particular attention to military discussions about international drone warfare, domestic missile protections and U.S. drone production problems.

"The details about Ukraine’s daring operation are few, but Kyiv managed to sneak cheap drones across the border and use them to destroy costly Russian military assets," the editorial states. "The bang for Ukraine’s buck was considerable. You don’t have to be a fan of thrillers to imagine a similar scenario in the United States."

In light Ukraine's drone attack success, President Trump’s Golden Dome missile-defense shield idea doesn't sound so outlandish, the WSJ board concluded. "The headlines are preoccupied with space-based interceptors. But the U.S. is exposed to many threats besides ballistic missiles — from drones and spy blimps to cruise missiles launched off submarines."

In 2023, the bipartisan Strategic Posture Commission "warned that the U.S. needs better integrated air and missile defenses against 'coercive attacks' from Russia and China, and such an attack could come from conventional weapons," writes the board. "In a crisis over the Taiwan Strait, Xi Jinping might threaten the Commander in Chief: Stay out of the Western Pacific or you never know what might happen to your pricey F-22s in Alaska."

The editorial cites a January report from Thomas Shugart and Timothy Walton at the Hudson Institute that criticized Air Force plans to protect new B-21 bombers with what they referred to as "sunshades." The report points out that a lack of structural protection "could leave aircraft 'exposed to threats, including lethal' unmanned aerial vehicles," the board adds.

Beyond the tragedy of Sept. 11, Americans are used to wars "fought far from home. . . but everyone in the U.S. will be on the front lines of the next conflict," the editorial states. "Political leaders could be doing much more to educate the country about this vulnerability, rather than boasting that the U.S. military is the best it has ever been. It isn’t."

Watch the entire WSJ video on China's drone dominance, here.

Quick hits: Racing cars with a 'twist;' egg prices slide; lower tariff for 'happy nut;' bird flu cases slow; PFAS trial

The Gary Wilson Jr. 2009 Toyota Yaris heads down the track. (Photo by Sam Wolfe, NPR)

Camden, S.C., may only have 7,800 people, but it hosts a raucous event where residents and visitors are treated to cars with bad rap sheets and crazy detailing. "The race cars roll into downtown like an old-fashioned circus . . . . A Honda Civic has a lawnmower, squirrels and flamingoes on its roof," reports Bill Chappell of NPR. "They're all here for the local installment of 24 Hours of Lemons, an endurance car race with a major twist: The cars can't cost more than $500. The series bills itself as 'racing for real people.' The 24 Hours of Lemons races started more than 15 years ago in California. There are now 23 races each year, from coast to coast."

Good news! Sort of. "The average price for a dozen Grade A eggs declined to $5.12 last month after reaching a record $6.23 in March," reports Dee-Ann Durbin of The Associated Press. "It was the first month-to-month drop in egg prices since October 2024. Overall, the average price of eggs of all sizes fell 12.7%, the steepest monthly decline since March 1984. . . . Still, retail egg prices remain near historic highs."

California farmers grow millions of pounds of
pistachios a year. (Adobe Stock photo)

U.S. farmers aren't the only ones grateful for a break from extreme U.S.-China tariffs -- Chinese pistachio lovers are also rejoicing. "Chinese consumers crave pistachios for their taste and health benefits, referring to them in a way that translates to 'happy nuts,'" reports Jim Carlton of The Wall Street Journal. "Since 2017, the value of U.S. pistachios shipped into China has shot up 20-fold from $42 million to $842 million last year, accounting for almost a third of the $3 billion crop."

Dairy trade between the United States and the United Kingdom has historically been skewed in the UK's favor; however, the new negotiation framework announced by the Trump administration "marks a crucial turning point as the U.S. seeks a level playing field with global dairy exporters," reports Karen Bohnert of Dairy Herd Management. "According to Gregg Doud, president of the National Milk Producers Federation, achieving a robust trade agreement with the UK is a vital step in correcting the current imbalances in the dairy trade."

Chickens, farmers and farm workers enjoy a reprieve from bird flu infections. (MedPage Today photo)

While not entirely explainable, "detections of H5N1 avian influenza have slowed in both animals and humans, but continued surveillance is warranted, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers said," reports Kristina Fiore of MedPage Today. "Someone questioned whether there was seasonality to H5N1. . . .Todd Davis, PhD, chief of the virology at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said any seasonality noted in other countries 'primarily corresponds to migratory bird patterns.'"

The first PFAS, or "forever chemicals," personal injury trial will focus on plaintiffs who allege they developed kidney cancer from firefighting foam. "The trial, set for Oct. 20, could include up to three individuals who claim their exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) caused their cancer," reports Pat Rizzuto of Bloomberg Law. "In [an] effort to manage the nearly 10,000 personal injury cases that are part of the Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation MDL 2873, Judge Richard M. Gergel, with the U.S. District Court for the District of S.C., established three batches of cases involving different illnesses."

U.S. and China push pause on tariffs, and while businesses and some farmers celebrate, 'repercussions will linger'

The U.S. and China will reduce reciprocal tariffs
by 115%. (Adobe Stock photo)

The United States and China agreed to scale back their reciprocal tariffs in an effort to ease tensions as they begin trade negotiations.

Both countries agreed to "temporarily reduce the punishing tariffs they have imposed on each other," report Daisuke Wakabayashi, Amy Chang Chien and Alan Rappeport of The New York Times. "The Trump administration [has] backed off, for now. . . and agreed to hold more formal talks with Beijing after companies and consumers started showing signs of economic strain."

According to the 90-day rollback agreement, the United States would "reduce the tariff on Chinese imports to 30% from its current 145%, while China would lower its import duty on American goods to 10% from 125%, the Times reports. "China said it would suspend or revoke countermeasures adopted in retaliation for escalating tariffs."

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested "the two countries might discuss deals for China to purchase more American goods. Such a deal could help narrow the American trade deficit with China," the Times reports. "The agreement breaks an impasse that had brought much trade between China and the United States to a halt."

Despite some room for celebration by businesses from both countries, the past weeks of tariffs have taken a toll. The Times reports, "Businesses are likely to encounter pent-up demand, leading to higher transport prices, as companies race to schedule shipments during the 90-day negotiating window. . . . Global stock markets jumped with the announcement."

The reduced tariffs were an especially welcome change for U.S. soybean farmers. "Soybean futures surged in overnight trading . . . ," reports Tony Driebus of Successful Farming.