Today, American farmers are hurting for a list of reasons, including tariffs, lack of a new farm bill, drought and Congress choosing to ignore them.
Many people ask, “Why should the government save farmers?”
I believe the answer is America has some of the cheapest food in the world, and if the government didn’t help those who produce it, our food prices would go through the roof.
And the most important reason is every country needs food security. In these times, if a country doesn’t have food security, they are in trouble.
American farmers are beginning to harvest crops, and a large number are wondering if there will be a market for them to sell their products – the congressional shutdown is not helping.
The rollout of disaster and economic assistance, which was allocated by Congress last year, has been set aside amid stalled negotiations over the budget and the government shutdown.
The biggest threat to some farmers who raise soybeans and corn is the tariffs. The European Union (EU) and China have stopped buying corn and soybeans – especially soybeans – mainly in retaliation of American tariffs.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2024 the U.S. exported approximately $24.5 billion worth of soybeans, half of which went to China. The EU, which is the second largest buyer of soybeans, bought $2.45 billion. Now you see why China is so important.
First, President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese products, then China responded with their own tariffs, which in turn resulted in a 34 percent tariff on U.S. soybeans – the most expensive in the world.
China immediately went looking for cheaper soybeans and found them in Brazil, Argentina and a few other countries. So now, in order to get China back, the U.S. will have to have cheaper soybeans and lower shipping costs.
This happened during Trump’s first term, and we finally got China back to buying our soybeans. We can only hope we can get China back again as they need our soybeans – not only for human consumption, but because they raise more pigs than any country in the world.
China is well aware of food security, and they are smart negotiators too. They realize focusing on soybeans and other agriculture products will cause farmers to utilize their strong lobbyists and political clout.
Remember, those in agriculture are strong supporters of President Trump.
Those in agriculture don’t want a handout, but they do want an open market. They realize their products are a commodity, where prices reflect supply and demand. They just want more certainty in their lives and a farm bill.
Playing political games with America’s food is unfair to our farmers and ranchers. They are doing a great job of feeding the U.S. and others around the world. The best part is they are doing this with less land and less animals.
Dennis Sun is the publisher of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup
