KSHB 41 News's Ryan Gamboa's reporting frequently involves discussions about agricultural issues such as his story below. You can reach out to Ryan via e-mail.
The Trump Administration is expected to announce an aid package for American soybean farmers as early as Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
It's in response to China's holdout in soybean purchases this year. President Trump is expecting to release $10 billion in money generated from tariffs imposed on other countries.
"A new trade deal is what we need," said Bill Waters, a soybean farmer.
Waters is a first-generation farmer on both sides of the Kansas and Missouri state line. Half of his operation is corn and the other is soybeans.
This year, he's getting creative to pay his bills, selling off old equipment — as cost of production has skyrocketed.
"We're going backwards before we even put it in the ground and we gotta play the weather," he said.
Dennis Hupe, Director of Field Services with the Kansas Soybean Association told KSHB 41, varying farm equipment has risen over 50% in price over the past five years.
"Then you look at their inputs as far as fertilizer, seed, those costs have continued to sky rocket, while the price of soybeans per bushel has gone the other way," Hupe explained.
The Kansas Soybean Association is closely monitoring the impacts the U.S.-China trade war has on soybean growers.
"The American farmers are feeling the brunt end of the issues, the tariffs we have placed on other countries around the world," Hupe said. "There is reason for the tariffs, which they American farmer is supporting. But at the same time, it's also putting a great amount of economic stress on their ability to be sustainable and be in business another year."
China largely buys soybeans for oil extraction and animal feed. It accounts for about 14% of all farm goods sent overseas. In recent years, China has been buying 25% of all American soybeans.
According to the American Soybean Association, China purchased over $13 billion in American soybeans in the 2022-23 market year. More than $30 billion worth of soybean products were exported in fiscal year 2024.
President Trump is expected to release $10 billion in aid to soybean growers — the extent of that deal is not yet known.
It comes after the Trump Administration promised a possible bailout of Argentina to support its currency totaling $20 billion.
The Chinese Communist Party ordered nearly 2 million tons of Argentine soybean and soy products.
"They're making a very definite point, to the administration that hey, we can obtain what we need from Argentina and Brazil, and we do not need you," said Hupe.
Farmers like Billy Waters feels caught in the middle.
"I don't think we handled that well," he said. "We're just at the mercy of what's going on."
Both Waters and the Kansas Soybean Association agree giving farmers a shot in the arm with tariff earnings would be nice, but it's not a fix-all solution. Hupe added, Kansas soybean crops will produce a positive yield than in years past, which can also offset some costs.
"Once you get on that merry-go-round, how do you get off?" Hupe questioned. "We do not want it to be forever. It's gotta be a temporary, let's support agriculture, keep 'em on their feet let's get the tariff deals done, so we can move on and have free enterprise and free markets."
Amid a government shutdown, Waters questions how any farm aid would be dispersed — as some USDA offices are closed.
Waters Farms is banking on this years corn crop to get by, but a trade deal would make this season a whole lot easier.
"You're going to go into the hole hoping there's going to be a trade deal done and you have a good market next year. Until that happens a lot's up in the air," Waters added. "The farm aid deal is going to help the farmer now in the short term. But it's just going to be a just a band-aid if we don't get something soon."
