US Soybean Farmers Near ‘Financial Precipice’ Due to Tariffs

A worker uses a tractor to plant soybeans at a farm in Tiffin, Iowa, in May.

Photographer: Benjamin Roberts/Bloomberg

US soybean farmers are near a “trade and financial precipice” and cannot survive a prolonged trade war with China.

That’s the warning from Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association. In a letter to President Donald Trump dated Tuesday, he urged the administration to reach a deal with China to remove duties and, if possible, include significant soybean purchases.