China has bought at least 8 million tons of US soybeans this year, according to people familiar with the matter, putting the world’s top importer on track to meet a pledge it made two months ago as part of an apparent trade truce with Washington.
Trade
USDA Projects $37 Billion Ag Trade Deficit in FY26
The USDA is projecting that the ag trade deficit will shrink in FY2026 even more than previously anticipated. USDA expects the trade deficit to fall from $43.7 billion in FY2025 to $37 billion in FY2026, according to its quarterly trade forecast published Tuesday. In its previous report issued in August, USDA had projected a trade deficit of $41.5 billion this fiscal year.
China Halfway to Promised 12 MMT of US Soybean Purchases
China has secured at least 7 million tons of US soybeans after heavy buying in the past two weeks, passing the halfway mark toward meeting its 12-million ton purchase agreement with the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the deals.
China Soybean Buying Deadline Now February, Bessent Says
China is on pace to meet its pledge to buy 12 million tons of US soybeans by the end of February, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday, appearing to extend an earlier deadline for Beijing’s purchases.
Farmer Aid Announcement Coming Next Week, Rollins Says
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday that the Trump administration will announce a ‘bridge payment’ for farmers next week that is designed to provide short-term relief while longer trade and aid packages are finalized.
Experts Split on Whether China will Meet Soybean Purchase Pledge
China is expected to step up US soybean purchases to meet a pledge to buy at least 12 million tons by the end of the year, according to multiple traders, while farm Journal’s November Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor found more than three-quarters (76%) of economists surveyed say China won’t purchase that amount of soybeans this year.
Deere’s 2026 Outlook Suggests No Farm Economy Uptick
Deere & Co.’s weak forecast for the year ahead reinforces the difficulty in predicting a recovery in the US farm economy as uncertainty continues to swirl over the impact of tariffs and trade deals. Deere said net income in the 2026 fiscal year will be between $4 billion and $4.75 billion. That would be a drop from the $5.027 billion reported for the year just ended.
US Soybeans Set for First Shipment to China Since May
Two cargo vessels were headed for grain port terminals near New Orleans on Monday to load with the first U.S. soybean shipments to China since May, according to a shipping schedule seen by Reuters. A third vessel was en route to a Texas Gulf Coast grain terminal to be loaded with China-bound U.S. sorghum in the coming days.
Trump Removes Tariffs on Brazil Beef & Coffee
President Donald Trump on Thursday removed his 40% tariffs on Brazilian food products, including beef, coffee, cocoa and fruits that were imposed in July to punish Brazil over the prosecution of its former president, Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro.
Farmer Tariff Aid Shrinking After Trade Deals?
The Deputy Secretary of Agriculture says trade deal negotiations during the government shutdown could impact the possibility of farmer assistance this year. During a call with reporters on Monday, Stephen Vaden said dynamics have changed since the end of September.
China Buys Nearly 1 Million Tons of US Soybeans
China bought at least 14 cargoes of U.S. soybeans on Monday, two traders with knowledge of the deals said, its largest purchase since at least January and the most significant since a summit between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping in October.
USDA Data Dump Shows Minimal Soybean Sales to China
New data the Agriculture Department released Friday created serious doubts about whether China will really buy millions of bushels of American soybeans like the Trump administration touted last month after a high-stakes meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
USDA Set for First Crop Data Release Since September
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is set to release a hotly anticipated crop report, including the government’s first estimates of the two feed crops since mid-September, before the harvest had taken shape. The agency is also due to release a compiled a list of large daily sales reported by exporters during the shutdown.
China Buys More Brazil Soybeans as US Purchases Stall
China’s purchases of American soybeans appear to have stalled, less than two weeks after the US touted a wide-ranging trade truce that signaled thawing relations between the world’s two biggest economies. At the same time, China’s state trader COFCO’s oilseed unit said on Monday it has signed agreements to purchase Brazilian soybeans, soybean oil, palm oil and other agricultural products, with a total volume of nearly 20 million tons worth over $10 billion.
China Buys US Wheat & Sorghum, Ends Some Soybean Import Suspensions
China has begun modest purchases of U.S. farm products after the leaders of both countries met last week, but traders still await significant soybean buys after the White House said Beijing pledged to buy 12 million tons by year-end.
Supreme Court Appears Skeptical of Trump Tariffs
President Trump’s global tariffs appeared to be on shaky ground after Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism during a hearing on Wednesday about his authority to impose sweeping measures on countries around the world.
China Buys Brazil Soy as US Crop Still Faces 13% Tariff
China will suspend retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports, including duties on farm goods, after last week’s meeting of the two countries’ leaders, Beijing confirmed on Wednesday, but imports of U.S. soybeans still face a 13% tariff.
USDA Will Release Nov. WASDE, Crop Production Reports
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) said on Friday that it will release several key agriculture reports in November, including a monthly crop supply and demand report that was not issued in October due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.
China to Buy 12 Million Tons of US Soybeans This Year, Bessent Says
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said China has agreed to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans this year. For the next three years, the Asian nation has agreed to buy a minimum of 25 million tons annually, Bessent said on Fox Business.
China Purchases First US Soybeans of the Season
China’s state-owned COFCO bought three U.S. soybean cargoes, two trade sources said, the country’s first purchases from this year’s U.S. harvest, shortly before a summit of leaders Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.