Trump administration considering economic aid for farmers: Agriculture secretary

The Trump administration is evaluating whether to grant aid to American farmers this fall, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Monday. 

"We are working with our colleagues in Congress and closely monitoring markets daily to evaluate the amount of additional assistance that might be needed this fall," Rollins said at a meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in Rogers, Ark. 

The Hill has reached out to the House Agriculture Committee and the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee for comment on Rollins' remarks.

Rollins’ comments come as Chinese buyers have yet to purchase soybeans from U.S. farmers, despite increased production yields relative to last year. China is utilizing soybeans as a bargaining chip in its ongoing trade negotiations with the Trump administration. 

They also come as farmers feel the impacts of the administration’s cuts to USDA programs. In March, the agency cut over $1 billion in funding for schools and food banks to purchase goods from local farms and ranches. 

U.S. tariffs on Chinese imported goods are set at 30 percent, while Chinese tariffs on American imported goods are set at 10 percent. Last month, the two countries agreed to pause tariff increases on each other’s goods for 90 days; the new deadline to reach an agreement before tariff rates increase is Nov. 10.

According to the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, released on Sept. 12, American farmers have produced 53.5 bushels per acre of soybeans, ahead of the 2023/24 seasonal total of 50.6 bushels per acre and the 2024/25 seasonal estimate of 50.7 bushels per acre. 

However, despite the increased yield, Chinese buyers have opted for South American soybeans, booking roughly 7.4 million metric tons of shipments from Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay for October. That accounts for 95 percent of the country’s projected demand for the crop next month. 

Last October, by contrast, saw Chinese buyers purchase 5.9 million metric tons of soybeans from American farmers and 3.7 million metric tons from South American farmers. U.S. agricultural exports reached $176 billion last year, according to a July report from the USDA. In that report, the agency also noted that 28.6 percent of agricultural exports went to East Asia.

During Trump’s first term, the USDA sent roughly $23 billion to farmers in the midst of the president’s initial trade battle with China. USDA research showed that $27 billion in agricultural exports were lost as a result of the trade war.