Chinese buyers booked at least 10 cargoes of Argentine soybeans after Buenos Aires on Monday scrapped grain export taxes, three traders said on Tuesday, dealing another setback to U.S. farmers already shut out of their top market and hit by low prices.
Trade
Ag Trade Deficit Hit Another Record High in July
The US agricultural trade deficit widened further in July, with agricultural exports lagging imports by $4.97 billion in July, a gap 9% wider than a year earlier and the largest on record for the month. That pushed the sector’s deficit to an unprecedented $33.6 billion for the first seven months of the year.
U.S. Tariffs Reshaping Global Ag Trade Flows
The imposition of U.S. tariffs and new U.S. trade deals with countries across the globe are expected to reshape global agricultural trade flows — on products ranging from beef to grains to oilseeds — in the coming months.
USDA Projects Ag Trade Deficit Will Fall to $41.5 Billion in 2026
USDA’s quarterly trade outlook lowered the projected trade deficit for fiscal 2025 to $47 billion from the $49.5 billion estimated in June. The deficit is projected to drop to $41.5 billion for fiscal 2026, which starts Oct. 1, because U.S. ag imports are expected to fall even more than exports.
China Remains Absent from US Soybean Market
Just days before the start of the US export season for soybeans, the world’s top importer China doesn’t appear to have bought a single American cargo for the coming year. That causing farmers in the Northern Plains to face cash soybean prices below $9, and with China absent from the soybean export market, $8 soybeans could continue to be a reality this harvest.
Farmers Feel Fertilizer Price Squeeze as Tariffs Hit Ag Sector
Farm groups are warning that President Donald Trump’s tariff war is worsening already high fertilizer prices, making it harder for farmers to afford planting their usual amounts of corn, wheat and soybeans.
Soybean Farmers Warn they ‘Cannot Survive’ China Trade War
US soybean farmers are near a ‘trade and financial precipice’ and cannot survive a prolonged trade war with China. That’s the warning from Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association. In a letter to President Donald Trump dated Tuesday, he urged the administration to reach a deal with China to remove duties and, if possible, include significant soybean purchases.
Ag Trade Deficit Hits Record High In First Half of 2025
The US agricultural trade deficit hit a record high in the first half of 2025, with the value of agricultural exports trailing that of imports by $4.1 billion in June — a gap 14% wider than a year earlier — pushing the sector’s deficit to a staggering $28.6 billion for the first six months of the year.
Trade Tensions, Biofuel Uncertainty Hit Agribusiness Profits
Ongoing trade tensions and uncertainty about U.S. biofuel policy contributed to second quarter profits hitting multi-year lows for a number of crop trading companies — including Archer-Daniels-Midland and Bunge Global SA — while ag equipment manufacturers warned those trade tensions will begin increasing equipment prices in the second half of the year.
New-Crop US Soybean Export Sales at 20-Year Low
As of July 24, US soybean exporters had sold just over 3 million metric tons of soybeans for export in 2025/26, which begins September 1. That volume is a 20-year low for the date and is down 12% from last year.
Mexico Tariffs Delayed, Higher Duties Set on Brazil & Canada
President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners, including Canada (35%), Brazil (50%), India and Taiwan, ahead of a Friday trade deal deadline, pressing ahead with plans to reorder the global economy.
China Issues New Threats to Block Panama Canal Ports Deal
China’s government is threatening to block a deal that would transfer ownership of dozens of seaports — including two ports at the Panama Canal — to Western investors if Cosco, China’s largest shipping company, doesn’t get a stake.
US Corn Export Sales Forecast at Record Levels
U.S. corn export sales have continued at a blistering pace and support a 100-million-bushel month-to-month increase for the 2024/25 marketing year, raising the forecast to a record-high 2,750 million bushels. If realized, 2024/25 corn exports will exceed the 2023/24 estimate by nearly 500 million bushels (22%).
Trump Threatens 30% Tariffs on Mexico and the EU
President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting on August 1, after weeks of negotiations with the major U.S. trading partners failed to reach a comprehensive trade deal.
Trump’s Brazil Tariffs Could Impact Beef and Coffee Trade
President Donald Trump’s unexpected move to threaten a 50% tariff on Brazil risks roiling global commodity markets, disrupting trade on everything from beef to coffee.
US Pauses Restart of Mexican Cattle Imports due to Screwworm
The Agriculture Department said Wednesday evening that the U.S. would be closing the southern border to livestock trade, effective immediately, after reports that New World screwworm has resumed its northward spread.
Bunge Completes $8 Billion Merger with Grain Trader Viterra
Bunge Global SA completed its takeover of Glencore Plc-backed Viterra, a move that will help the combined businesses better compete with larger rivals like Cargill Inc. and Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. as the crop-trading sector faces a downturn in profits.
Ag Trade Deficit Reaches Record High $20 Billion Through April
From January through April, the United States imported $78.2 billion in agricultural products while exporting just $58.5 billion. This $19.7 billion deficit is the largest ever recorded for the first four months of a year and signals that the 2025 deficit could surpass previous records.
Iran-Israel Conflict Adds Uncertainty to Fertilizer Market
Renewed conflict in the Middle East has shuttered urea production in Iran, sending ripples through global fertilizer markets and adding to existing uncertainty around Russian and Chinese supplies.
Integrity of USDA Data Questioned After Trade Report Redaction
Analysts voiced concerns this week about the integrity of U.S. Department of Agriculture reports after the agency delayed a report and excluded findings that point to tariffs as a reason for a forecasted increase in the agricultural trade deficit.