I warned in May that America’s agricultural economy was under siege—that tariffs, cuts to Department of Agriculture programs and political posturing in Washington were testing farmers from farm to table. Four months later, that picture has only become worse.
In the Midwest, the combines are idle and the bins are overflowing with unsold grain. Corn prices have fallen by almost 50% since 2022. Soybeans are down 40%. Fertilizer and equipment costs have increased by double digits. And eight in 10 farmers now say they believe the U.S. is on the brink of another agricultural crisis reminiscent of the 1980s. They even gave it a name: Farmageddon.
This time the crisis is not the result of macroeconomic conditions, but a direct consequence of decisions made by the White House. President Donald Trump’s reckless tariff war is crushing America’s farmers.
President Donald Trump talks to the media after walking off Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on October 5, 2025. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Take soybeans. China has retaliated against US tariffs with a total boycott of US soybeans, leaving bumper crops to rot in silos in Ohio, Iowa and Illinois. Meanwhile, new tariffs on fertilizer, steel and equipment have driven up production costs for almost every crop and commodity.
TRUMP’S TARIFFS FORCE CHINA TO FEEL THE HEAT
The math doesn’t add up: higher costs on the front end, lower prices and fewer markets on the back end. It’s a bottleneck that no amount of wishful thinking can solve.
And while American farmers are struggling to move their grain, the government just completed a bailout for Argentina — a country that turned around and made a deal with China to buy its soybeans instead of ours. Think about that: Washington is saving a competitor of our farmers who is on the brink of crisis.
Unfortunately, we saw the same movie during Trump’s latest trade war. Farm bankruptcies rose to record levels and Brazil took off with our export markets. Now Argentina is lining up to do the same. And everyone knows that once you lose market share, you rarely get it back.
This isn’t just economics. It’s very personal. It’s the difference between keeping the family business for another generation and auctioning off the tractor. It’s the wrinkles on an Ohio farmer’s face as he struggles to tell me he’s not sure he wants his children to have this way of life.
TRUMP USES THE GOVERNMENT LOCKOUT TO DO SOMETHING NO PRESIDENT HAS EVER DONE
And the White House is only making it harder. Despite total control of Washington, the president’s party has shut down the government rather than expanding enhanced premium tax credits that keep health care affordable. Finding affordable health care as a farmer is difficult enough at the moment. But now premiums will skyrocket. In rural countries, premiums will even increase by an average of 107%, a larger increase than in our cities.
Additionally, farmers will be left out if USDA closes. That means delays in crucial agricultural loans, conservation payments and disaster relief. For farmers, it’s a double whammy: no markets, no safety net, and now no one to answer the phone.
What is the solution? Well, the president is launching a $14 billion bailout for farmers – a temporary fix for a self-inflicted wound. We saw how this happened during the first trade war, when payments were poorly managed and failed to help the farmers most affected.
Even the president’s allies are skeptical. I agree with Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., who said funding bailouts with tariff revenue is “like a Band-Aid on a cancer.” Farmers don’t want bailouts; they want a fair shake. They want open markets, stable policies and a government that has their backs.
So let’s be clear: there is a way out of this mess.
DO PRESIDENT TRUMP’S RATES REALLY WORK?
First, reopen the government and extend the enhanced premium tax credits that a quarter of all farmers rely on. It’s time to get the USDA back to full strength and ensure rural families can afford their health care.
Second, end the trade war that is eroding American agriculture. Stop punishing the very people who feed and fuel this country.
Third, if the President will not end his reckless trade war, Congress must intervene to reclaim our constitutional authority over tariff policy. I plan to introduce legislation soon that would require USDA to report on the impact of any proposed tariffs on agricultural states, giving farmers an additional tool to plan for the future. I welcome my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us.
And finally, let’s expand domestic markets by allowing year-round E15 fuel. This is a common-sense, bipartisan step that would boost corn demand, lower gas prices and strengthen our energy independence.
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This is just a start, but our farmers need a real plan.
Because what happens in the farmland is not a distant problem. It’s America’s problem. When farms go under, the cities become quiet. When farmers stop buying seed, tractors and feed, the hardware store closes, the restaurant goes empty and the local school loses its tax base. The ripple effects are reaching every kitchen table in America – in the cost of food and in the strength of our economy.
President Trump can end this crisis today by reopening the government and ending the trade war that is pushing farm country to the brink. And if he doesn’t want to do that, Congress should step up and do it for him.
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Because it is not just about crops or raw materials. It’s about a way of life that nourishes our nation, fuels our economy and defines who we are.
If we let that slip, we have no one to blame but ourselves.
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