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462 points JumpCrisscross | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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more_corn ◴[] No.45078070[source]
Because the cost of goods continues to fluctuate wildly due to ongoing tariff wrangling that nobody asked for or needed.

Also farmers can’t sell anything because retaliation has destroyed international demand (I’d say decimated but it’s way worse than reduction by a tenth)

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JumpCrisscross ◴[] No.45078219[source]
> farmers can’t sell anything because retaliation has destroyed international demand

Not true. At least not yet.

Q2 agricultural exports were roughly flat to Q1 [1].

[1] https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/B181RC1Q027SBEA

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0cf8612b2e1e ◴[] No.45078311[source]
Soybean farmers are predicting a world of hurt as China continues to acquire from South America instead.

  “Overall, export sales of this fall’s (U.S.) soybean crop are down 81% from the five-year average,” Brasher reported.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2025/08/20/soybean-farme...
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declan_roberts ◴[] No.45078447[source]
South America doesn't produce enough soy beans for them to replace America even if China bought every single ounce of soy.

When it comes to soy, America has enormous leverage and China already accepted they're negotiating from a position of weakness.

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1. 0cf8612b2e1e ◴[] No.45078590{3}[source]
Leverage? Soybeans are the number one US food export (historically mostly to China). To date, China has purchased zero bushels this year. This is with US soy being cheaper than the competition. Maybe China cannot replace 100% of their demand today, but they are showing a united front that their import numbers will be kept as low as possible.

  …Basse says soybean importers aren’t just snubbing U.S. soybeans. They are specifically being told by the Chinese government to not buy U.S. beans.

  “So, if you’re a Chinese importer or a Chinese crusher, you’ve been told by the government not to buy U.S. soybeans until they tell you to. This is how China works. Today the Chinese have a stronghold on buying United States soybeans, even though our prices are nearly $1 a bushel cheaper than what they’re buying in Brazil. This is the pressure that I believe the Chinese government is trying to apply on the Trump administration during a trade negotiation,”…
https://www.agweb.com/news/crops/soybeans/8-soybeans-thats-r...