Minnesota Farmers Demand Trade Fix as $50-B Farm Losses Rock Agriculture

Farmers in rural Minnesota find themselves embroiled in a different kind of battle — a fight against rising agricultural costs, surplus crops dragging revenues down, and the fallout of an international tariff war that threatens, as recent letter from concerned U.S. agriculture experts put it, a “widespread collapse” of farms and rural communities, Mike Crisolago reported for Moneywise.

In 2023, Minnesota’s agricultural sector was worth $24.5 billion. (Photo: Bill Hickey, Minnesota Farm Bureau)

“There are few tragedies greater than the loss of a family farm,” the letter, addressed to the House Agriculture Committee — including Minnesota lawmakers Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Angie Craig — states.

“We need to honestly acknowledge these impacts to rural America and engage in serious deliberations with the farm community to develop real, long-term solutions.”

Days later, Klobuchar arrived in Mower County — the planned site of an advanced state agricultural research complex — to meet with members of Minnesota farming associations, including representatives of soybean and corn growers.

She spoke of the toll that President Trump’s tariffs have taken on local farmers, noting that one-third of the state’s agricultural industry revolves around international exports.

That includes China, the top buyer of Minnesota soybeans, which spent $1.7 billion on them in 2024 before cutting off purchases for much of last year in tariff retaliation.

China has since agreed to resume buying soybeans, though Klobuchar added, “it’s still less than half of what it was last year.”

Rodney Moe, a farming representative, told Klobuchar, “If we don’t have these markets, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

In 2023, Minnesota’s agricultural sector was worth $24.5 billion. Corn, soybeans, and feed grains rank among its top exports, accounting for more than $9 billion in exported goods that year — and are among those now under threat.