Trump’s Trade War Pushes U.S. Farmers to the Brink

Farmers across the country are issuing increasingly urgent warnings that they face grim consequences if they cannot find markets for this year’s bumper crop now being harvested, Eric Bradner, Andrew Seger, Nicky Robertson, and Jeremy Herb reported for CNN.

Across the U.S., farmers describe increasingly dire conditions stemming from a mix of factor

Trade deals that many farmers hoped would follow President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on some of America’s biggest agricultural customers have not materialized. A farm bailout is also uncertain in Congress.

Many farmers — including Trump supporters — say time is running out.

“It just seems like things have stalled all summer long,” said Brian Warpup, who grows corn and soybeans on his 3,900-acre farm in northeastern Indiana.

“We’re always hopeful that negotiations are moving forward, but with harvest here, patience may be running thin.”

Across the U.S., farmers describe increasingly dire conditions stemming from a mix of factors: Trump’s trade war, his immigration crackdown, inflation, and high interest rates.

Challenges vary by region: West Coast growers report severe labor shortages, while many in the Midwest cannot sell their crops and are scrambling to find storage.

The pressures echo the trade wars of Trump’s first administration, when Washington spent billions on farmer bailouts.

Meanwhile, China — the world’s biggest soybean buyer — has so far refused to purchase American soybeans this year, a crop worth nearly $25 billion in 2024 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Instead, Beijing has turned to Brazil in retaliation for the tariffs Trump imposed on Chinese goods in February.