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President Donald Trump has announced his intention to both assist struggling farmers impacted by tariff wars and push China to resume purchasing American soybeans.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, American farmers have been severely impacted by tariffs imposed during recent trade disputes started by the US, particularly those targeting China. These tariffs have led to retaliation from major trading partners and other countries seeking alternatives, resulting in steep declines in USagricultural exports (especially soybeans and corn). China, which used to be the largest buyer of US soybeans, has drastically cut purchases, instead sourcing cheaper alternatives from countries like Brazil. As a result, US farmers have faced plummeting commodity prices. Corn, for example, has dropped over 50% from its 2022 peak, while production costs for essentials like seed, fertilizer, and equipment remain high due to additional import tariffs. This imbalance has squeezed farm margins, leading to rising debt, depleted working capital, and complaints from agricultural groups.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, President Trump announced that he would be moving forward with assisting American farmers who have been severely impacted by ongoing trade tensions with China. Trump pledged to use tariff revenues collected from Chinese imports to fund a new aid package for struggling agricultural producers, stating, “We’ve made so much money on Tariffs, that we are going to take a small portion of that money, and help our Farmers.” Though specifics of the aid package remain unclear, Trump positioned it as a temporary lifeline until stronger trade terms can be renegotiated. “It’s all going to work out very well,” he said. “I LOVE OUR PATRIOTS, AND EVERY FARMER IS EXACTLY THAT! MAKE SOYBEANS, AND OTHER ROW CROPS, GREAT AGAIN!”

Trump also confirmed that soybeans would be a central focus in his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea. “The Soybean Farmers of our Country are being hurt because China is, for ‘negotiating’ reasons only, not buying,” he wrote on Truth Social, calling out China for deliberately withholding purchases as leverage in trade negotiations. He criticized President Biden for “failing” to enforce provisions in the Phase One trade deal (an agreement during Trump’s first term that included commitments from China to buy large quantities of US agricultural products). Trump said he plans to pressure Xi to resume those purchases, which have all but evaporated since China imposed a 20% retaliatory tariff on US soybeans.

This comes as farmers across the Midwest have felt the brunt of these stalled trade relations. China, once the largest importer of American soybeans, has not purchased any US shipments in the current crop year as of mid-September (a first in over two decades). This has cratered prices, with costs for seed, fertilizer, and equipment remaining high.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins acknowledged this on Fox News, saying, “the farm economy is not in a good place.” She added, “The president has committed to supporting our farmers, and we’ll have an announcement on that very soon, likely next week.”