THE SET-UP: “When a person loses hope, that’s when the situation turns bleak.”
As Jolie Foreman, executive director at Shelby County Cares, explained to AgWeb for a just-published story on farmers struggling with suicidal ideations, the loss of hope is all-too common for those who’ve managed to stay down on the farm despite decades of price fluctuations, increasingly unpredictable weather and predatory corporate consolidation.
Now they face additional pressures from Trump’s trade war and his ongoing attempt to deport millions of migrants. Throw a bout of Bird Flu into the mix and it’s no wonder that a new survey of 1,034 farmers found…
…nearly half (46%) indicated that they believe the U.S. is on the brink of a farm crisis. A total of 80% of those surveyed indicated they believe the farm economy may be or is on the brink of a farm crisis. And 65% said that they are more concerned about their farm financials now than they were a year ago.
Commissioned by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), the survey’s results come…
…as farmers face the largest three-year decline in net cash receipts in history because of declining crop farm profitability associated with lower prices and elevated input costs.
Soybean farmers have suffered most from Trump’s trade war with China. They’ve lost considerable market share to Brazilian farmers who stepped in to meet China’s market-shaping demand for soybeans. As CNBC noted, China had been the “largest buyer of U.S. soybeans.” Thus far this year, China has not pre-purchased any soybeans from the upcoming harvest. Brazil is cementing is position as the world’s leading soybean producer … and it is only growing.
Meanwhile, the absence of Chinese purchasers in places like North Dakota has farmers stuck “in limbo.” DakotaNewsNow noted that China had been “the largest buyer for North Dakota soybeans” until “President Trump unveiled this year’s tariffs.” That triggered a 70% drop in exports. And that sharp drop in demand dropped the price from $12 per bushel down to $10. Justin Sherlock is a soybean farmer who serves as the president of the North Dakota Soybeans Association. He put it bluntly:
“It really is in the hands of the President. So, you know, farmers were down to hope and prayers at this point, and, you know, that’s not a good marketing strategy, but that’s where we are.”
As you will see below in today’s DAILY THREAD, the Trump regime is giving serious consideration to redirecting some of Trump’s vaunted tariff revenue back to the farmers suffering from the imposition of tariffs. Of course, they could’ve cut out the middleman by not imposing tariffs in the first place. But they did and now it’s not just the loss of Chinese soybean shoppers that’s hurting farmers’ bottom line:
Prices for fertilizers, tractors and farm equipment are rising. John Deere, the nation’s largest farm machinery maker, said last month tariffs on steel and aluminum would cost the company $600 million this year.
That’s left many farmers on the edge of financial ruin. Now they are forced to plead for tariff money to help them weather the impacts of the tariffs. And that’s after Trump signed a $65 billion dollar aid package back in July. Last year’s bankruptcy filings jumped 55% over the previous year. Given this confluence of negative factors—a couple of which are orangeman-made—it’s no wonder that…
…[f]armers and ranchers are up to three and a half times more likely to commit suicide than any other demographic with forty-five percent of farmers’ and ranchers’ suicides in the last 15 years being committed by people aged 65 and older.
“Sadly, that is the end all for a lot of people,” lamented Jolie Foreman.
American Farmers Are Feeling the Pain of Trump’s Policies
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-18/us-farmers-struggle-with-no-china-trade-deal-snap-cuts-fewer-resources
Farmers Need Trade Justice, Not Weaponized Tariffs: NFFC, USA
https://viacampesina.org/en/2025/09/farmers-need-trade-justice-not-weaponized-tariffs-nffc-usa/
Iowa Soybean Farmers Dealing With Low Prices, Trade Woes
https://kiwaradio.com/news/iowa-soybean-farmers-dealing-with-low-prices-trade-woes/
No orders from China: US farmers, desperate for trade deal, walk ‘tightrope’
https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3326006/no-orders-china-us-soybean-farmers-desperate-trade-deal-walk-tightrope
With China no longer buying, U.S. soybean farmers face tough choices
https://www.marketplace.org/story/2025/09/16/soybean-farmers-face-a-hard-choice-without-their-top-buyer
Ohio agronomists urge farmers to weigh harvest decisions carefully
https://www.brownfieldagnews.com/news/ohio-agronomists-urge-farmers-to-weigh-harvest-decisions-carefully/
Trade war, drought squeeze Michigan farmers heading to fall harvest
https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/trade-war-drought-squeeze-michigan-farmers-heading-to-fall-harvest/
Drought impacts on metro Atlanta, farmers brace for challenges
https://www.11alive.com/article/weather/weather-impact/drought-impacts-on-metro-atlanta-farmers-brace-for-challenges/85-512a9f96-6913-46a2-a512-0328763fe389
Tennessee's dairy farms fight to survive as costs rise and land disappears
https://www.herald-citizen.com/mcminnville/tennessees-dairy-farms-fight-to-survive-as-costs-rise-and-land-disappears/article_59a7726e-8196-59f3-81d5-ef96adc6cb99.html
Washington state farmers are surrounded by challenges to their way of life and the state's economy
https://www.inlander.com/news/washington-state-farmers-are-surrounded-by-challenges-to-their-way-of-life-and-the-states-economy-30506067
'Everyone is struggling': Arkansas farmers concerned over rising prices
https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/arkansas-farmers-struggle-congress-solution/91-b5bfc7b5-c581-4660-ae88-34ebe5ca916a
Wyatt Emmerich: Mississippi farmers are in freefall
https://cdispatch.com/opinions/wyatt-emmerich-mississippi-farmers-are-in-freefall/
US farmers face 'financial calamity' without extra aid soon, Republican lawmakers say
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-farmers-face-financial-calamity-without-extra-aid-soon-republican-lawmakers-2025-09-17/
Trump tariffs could fund bailout for US farmers, says agriculture secretary
https://www.ft.com/content/0267b431-2ec9-4ca4-9d5c-5abf61f2b082
USDA providing $221 million to help N.C. farmers recover from Helene
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2025/09/18/usda-aid-north-carolina-farmers
USDA cuts support for minority farmers. What's next for Louisiana's Black farmers?
https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/local/louisiana/2025/09/17/how-will-the-end-of-usda-support-affect-louisianas-black-farmers/85302244007/
California Farmers are Being Left Out to Dry
https://californiaglobe.com/fr/california-farmers-are-being-left-out-to-dry/