Imports and Exports
“China and Brazil are getting together. They’re going to build infrastructure, and they’re going to make SAF and they’re going to build railroads, and it’s not good for us and our future. That’s why we need new markets,” says Iowa farmer Tim Burrack.
While 56% of farmers say they believe the ongoing trade disputes with China and other countries will hurt them financially this year, 70% say they believe the U.S. and agriculture specifically will benefit in the long-term.
Vietnam has a 100 million people and a growing middle class looking to add protein to their diet. With limited soybean crushing capacity, the country currently depends on soybean meal imports for their livestock and aquaculture feed needs.
Growers are grappling with a second consecutive year of waning demand and no home for their grapes. The issue is complex with non-tariff trade barriers hitting the wine industry especially hard and a flood of imports that are creating cheap wine with which U.S. grape growers can’t compete.
“The sourcing from international markets has become mandatory. It’s more likely that things will get expensive than change,” says Jim DiLisi of Fanwood Chemical.
As tariff proposals continue to bring uncertainty, the agricultural sector is assessing how any forthcoming country-by-country trade deals might offset the disruption, or if the industry needs to brace itself for a different kind of future.
China accounted for 14% of total U.S. beef export volume last year and 15% of export value as well as 15% of total U.S. pork export volume and 13% of export value, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
On Wednesday afternoon, President Trump announced a series of tariffs, scheduled to start over the next few days, on some of agriculture’s most significant trade partners. Some corn and soybean growers say they are bracing themselves for potentially more financial pain ahead.
The senior senator from Iowa wants E15 approved for year-round use, fair and tariff-free trade, plus more action and a lot less talk regarding tax cuts and budget reconciliation efforts in the Senate.
While many farmers are comparing the current threats of tariffs and trade wars to the situation they endured in 2018, Joe Vaclavik believes this time will be better.
President Trump’s new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China have gone into effect. While the economic consequences are unknown, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has promised to have a plan ready for farmers, if needed.
As tariffs and trade wars continue to make headlines, veteran trade negotiator Gregg Doud feels somewhat optimistic about a possible new deal with one of America’s leading markets — China. He explains why on the latest episode of Unscripted.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins kicked off the 2025 Top Producer Summit on Tuesday morning, detailing her plan to advocate for trade. ‘We want to find market access for all our products,’ Rollins said.
USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom says the increases were driven by diversification of export markets and delivered a value of $66 per head slaughtered on pork.
Despite economic concerns, row-crop and livestock producers offered a mostly positive outlook on the future of agriculture.
The Panama Canal is in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs — and he’s pledged to retake control of the strategic waterway due to Chinese influence. He also claims U.S. ships have been unfairly charged for using the canal.
USMEF and Soy Transportation Coalition leaders were among those weighing in on the decision, which could have cost U.S. farmers and ranchers an estimated $1.4 billion a week.
Reuters reports that the union representing 45,000 dock workers on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts and their employers reached a tentative deal on a new six-year contract.
As federal policy decisions tend to heavily impact rural industries, the outcome of the 2024 election promises to significantly shape the rural economy in the year ahead. CoBank’s annual report outlines what to expect.
“I know people are concerned about the tariffs, but the fact is, [Trump] looks at tariffs as a way to get their attention and eventually to get better and reciprocal trade agreements,” says Terry Branstad.
Trump said he would impose a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico until they clamped down on drugs, particularly fentanyl, and migrants crossing the border, in a move that would appear to violate a free-trade deal.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to hold meetings with Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday.
Are you trying to dial in fertilizer costs? Prioritize soil testing, and check out a new dashboard that tracks fertilizer production, imports, prices and transportation factors.
The good news is a Trump presidency and Republican-controlled Senate might result in fewer regulations and lower taxes. The bad news is the U.S. could be headed for a possible trade war with China and other countries.
The concern is that limiting access to foreign supply of the herbicide 2,4-D could put farmers in a tough spot.
Unless labor agreements are reached, Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City will shut nearly all freight rail services in Canada at midnight on Thursday, snarling shipments of everything from wheat to fertilizer and meat.
Josh Linville, vice president of fertilizer at StoneX, shares the global factors currently influencing the fertilizer market.
Ag economists have little doubt Brazil will remain the world’s top exporter of soybeans, but with potential safrinha corn production problems, economists aren’t confident Brazil can hang on to the top spot in corn.
Just this week, China’s largest real estate firm was told it must liquidate after trying to restructure for two years. Some experts say the country is teetering on a recession.
From drought issues posing problems in the Panama Canal to growing tensions and attacks in the Red Sea, it’s causing freight rates to skyrocket and ongoing delays in shipping products around the globe.