Donald Trump's trade battle with China puts American soybean farmers in peril
(27 Sep 2025) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4606598 ASSOCIATED PRESS Magnolia, Kentucky – 12 September 2025 1. Wide of Caleb Ragland, Kentucky soybeans and corn farmer, driving a combine 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Caleb Ragland, Kentucky soybeans and corn farmer: +++PARTIALLY COVERED+++ "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." 3. Wide of a combine appearing through rows of corn ASSOCIATED PRESS Warren, Indiana – 11 September 2025 4. Mid of Brian Warpup, Indiana soybeans and corn farmer, inspecting crops in a field ASSOCIATED PRESS Magnolia, Kentucky – 12 September 2025 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Caleb Ragland, Kentucky soybeans and corn farmer: +++ COVERED+++ "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 6. Wide and pan left to right of a soybeans field 7. Close up of soybean plants 8. Close up of Warpup’s hands examining unripe soybeans 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Warpup, Indiana soybeans and corn farmer: +++PARTIALLY COVERED+++ "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." 10. Wide of Warpup walking through a soybeans field 11.Wide of Warpup getting inside a green combine harvester in a cornfield 12. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Warpup, Indiana soybeans and corn farmer: +++ COVERED+++ "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." 13. Mid of Warpup inside a combine and driving through cornfields 14. Mid of cornfield being harvested 15. Mid of Warpup’s hand adjusting a high-tech harvest automation system in a combine ASSOCIATED PRESS Magnolia, Kentucky – 12 September 2025 16. Wide of corn being harvested and loaded into a grain cart 17. SOUNDBITE (English) Kentucky soybeans and corn farmer: +++ COVERED+++ "We want to deliver the message to President Trump and his leadership team that we need trade." 18. Mid of a Ragland driving a combine harvester in a cornfield 19. SOUNDBITE (English) Kentucky soybeans and corn farmer: +++ COVERED+++ "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." 19. Wide of a combine harvester unloading corn 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. U.S. and Chinese officials have held four rounds of trade talks between May and September, with another likely in the coming weeks. No progress on soybeans has been reported. 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...
