The Trump administration’s trade war is having a significant impact on the nation’s agricultural sector, particularly as the U.S. and China have increased tariff rates against each other. Here’s the latest:
July 16, 2025
Rollins navigates Trump’s tariffs and the impact on agriculture
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has said repeatedly that the agricultural trade deficit — the U.S. imports more products from overseas than it exports — is bad for the country. She has supported Trump’s, but the narrative hit a snag in early June.
Politico reported the USDA had delayed a regularly scheduled report because it showed Trump’s tariffs could exacerbate the trade deficit. Days later, Rollins defended the delay. “I want to be sure every piece of research we move out is the best, the best-cited, etc.,” she told Congress. (The hearing was about a week after news broke that the MAHA report, which Rollins supported, cited nonexistent studies.)
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‘Farming in the dark’: Brooke Rollins’ leadership, DOGE’s grip and the cost to American agriculture
The divestment of staff, science and sustainability programs at USDA isn’t just a budget cut; it could be a direct threat to the nation’s food system. Experts warn of far-reaching consequences: unsafe food for consumers, more invasive and economically damaging pests for farmers, and an agriculture industry forced to adapt to climate change with less…
July 16, 2025
Trump’s tariffs are hurting U.S. agriculture. Some farmers still support them.
Since returning to the White House, President Trump has enacted sweeping tariffs on imported goods, igniting trade disputes and disrupting global markets. Farmers were already facing high input costs and falling crop prices entering 2025, and many relied on government aid to offset losses last year.
Despite these headwinds, Trump’s tariffs have drawn support from a subset of farmers, who see them as a means of regaining an edge in an increasingly competitive global economy.
A May survey of 400 U.S. producers found that 70% believe the tariffs will strengthen their industry in the long term. The same poll found that just 43% of respondents think the levies will hurt their earnings this year, down from 56% a month earlier. Respondents were based around the country and ran operations that grossed above $500,000 annually, according to the survey authors. You can read more about this survey from the Mississippi Free Press.
June 24, 2025
Higher tariffs are piling pressure on farmers already struggling with soaring agricultural costs
President Trump’s second trade war comes at a time when farmers are in a more vulnerable financial position than they were during his first term.
Over the last four years, grain prices have been on a downward trend. Soybeans — a major U.S. export and a pillar of the Midwest economy — have lost 34% of their value on the international market. Net farm income, while still above pre-pandemic levels, declined for two consecutive years after peaking in 2022.*
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Why Trump’s second trade war could be worse for US farmers
For April Hemmes, a fourth-generation farmer on land her family has worked for almost 125 years in north-central Iowa, life is guided by a simple philosophy: “Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.” It’s a mindset that has helped her navigate extreme weather, market shocks and trade disputes. But this year, Hemmes said,…
May 28, 2025
Tomatoes become latest flashpoint in US-Mexico trade tensions
Tomatoes, found in everything from tacos to soups, are suddenly at the center of a new cost concern, not because of crop failure, but because of tariffs. The Trump administration’s plan to impose steep levies on fresh Mexico-grown tomatoes, which supply most of the U.S. market, could drive up prices for restaurants, grocers, and families alike.
On April 14, the Commerce Department announced it would begin imposing a 20.91% tariff on most tomatoes imported from Mexico starting July 14. The decision ends a 2019 agreement that had suspended earlier trade penalties, with officials arguing the pact failed to protect American producers from a competition surge from low-cost Mexican tomatoes.
April 1, 2025
Trump’s trade war with China puts $12.8B in US soybean exports at risk
Trump, who has called “tariff” the most beautiful word in the dictionary, rushed after his return to power to make tariffs a central pillar of U.S. economic policy, unveiling an escalating levy against America’s major trading partners.
Soybeans are expected to be among the hardest-hit commodities in the Chinese market, mirroring the fallout from Trump’s first trade war. The Midwest states of Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota — leading soybean producers — collectively sold about $12.8 billion worth of soybeans to China in 2024. That figure is now at risk due to Beijing’s retaliatory measures.
February 12, 2025
Midwest farmers fear economic fallout as Trump shifts tariff policies
Mexico, Canada and China account for more than 40% of total U.S. trade, valued at more than $2 trillion. As these trade relations become increasingly strained under the new Trump administration, economic uncertainty has deepened in rural America, leaving farmers bracing for a financial blow similar to what occurred during Trump’s first-term trade war.
"It certainly does increase the level of uncertainty," said Ernie Goss, an economist at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, referring to the Trump administration’s tariff policies. "This uncertainty manifests itself in areas such as purchasing farmland and agriculture equipment.”
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President Trump’s tariffs bring return of uncertainty for America’s farmers
Bob Hemesath has spent his entire life on his Northeast Iowa farm, raising corn and hogs alongside his brother. His business depends on open global markets and stable trade agreements. But under Donald Trump’s second term, that stability has once again been disrupted with the president’s push for higher tariffs on some of the nation’s…
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