Donald Trump's trade battle with China puts American soybean farmers in peril
(27 Sep 2025) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Magnolia, Kentucky – 12 September 2025 1. Wide of a combine appearing through rows of corn 2. Wide of Caleb Ragland, Kentucky soybeans and corn farmer, driving a combine 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Kentucky soybeans and corn farmer: "Farmers across the country are starting to harvest soybeans as we speak. And right now 25% of our market is completely missing. That is a five alarm fire for our industry." 4. Wide and pan left to right of a soybeans field ASSOCIATED PRESS Warren, Indiana – 11 September 2025 5. Mid of Brian Warpup, Indiana soybeans and corn farmer, inspecting crops in a field ASSOCIATED PRESS Magnolia, Kentucky – 12 September 2025 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Kentucky soybeans and corn farmer: "The result of the tariffs has been devastating for soybean farmers in particular. Currently 25% of our soybeans grown in the United States, or if you see a soybean field, one out of every four rows of soybeans goes to China. Right now China has purchased zero soybeans." ASSOCIATED PRESS Warren, Indiana – 11 September 2025 7. Close up of Warpup’s hands examining unripe soybeans 8. Wide of Warpup walking through a soybeans field 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Warpup, Indiana soybeans and corn farmer: "A trade deal with China would mean a lot. It really would. That's our number one customer. I mean our number customer won't do business with us right now. And we really need that to happen in the next year." 10. Wide of Warpup getting inside a green combine harvester in a cornfield 11. Mid of cornfield being harvested 12. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Warpup, Indiana soybeans and corn farmer: " This is a business. It's a family farm, but it's a business, and we have to look at our input cost, what we can sell our product for, and see what that profit is. And we hope it's a profit. Going into 26, 27, there's a lot of unknowns there for my family." 13. Mid of Warpup’s hand adjusting a high-tech harvest automation system in a combine 14. Mid of Warpup inside a combine and driving through cornfields 15. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Warpup, Indiana soybeans and corn farmer: "The American farmer, especially myself included, is we don't want aid payments. We want to work. We work the land. We harvest the land, the crop off the land and the worst thing that we could ever want is a handout." ASSOCIATED PRESS Magnolia, Kentucky – 12 September 2025 16. Wide of corn being harvested and loaded into a grain cart 17. Mid of a Ragland driving a combine harvester in a cornfield 18. Wide of a combine harvester unloading corn 19. SOUNDBITE (English) Kentucky soybeans and corn farmer: "We want to deliver the message to President Trump and his leadership team that we need trade. He's mentioned many times that he loves farmers. Right now we need to see swift action or we're gonna lose a lot of these farmers that the president loves." ASSOCIATED PRESS Warren, Indiana – 11 September 2025 20. Wide of grain silos with American flag STORYLINE: The leafy soybean plants are reaching his thighs on his Kentucky farm, ripe for harvest, but Caleb Ragland is deeply worried. He doesn't know where he and other farmers will sell their crop because China, which traditionally has snapped up at least a quarter of all soybeans grown in the U.S., has stopped buying. “This is a five-alarm fire for our industry,” said Ragland, who leads the American Soybean Association trade group. AP video shot by Obed Lamy and Dylan Lovan =========================================================== Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
