Trump trade war dries up sorghum sales to China but US farmers plan to plant more

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Reuters

April 15, 2025 5:01 AM EDT Updated 4 hours ago


CHICAGO, April 15 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war with China comes at a bad time for sorghum growers like Dan Atkisson in Kansas, who is nevertheless preparing to increase plantings by 25% this spring.

China accounted for nearly 90% of U.S. sorghum exports last year, ramping up purchases of the crop it uses to feed livestock and make fiery baijiu liquor. Those purchases have largely ground to a halt, as tit-for-tat tariff increases by the U.S. and China cripple trade between the world's two largest economies.

U.S. sorghum exports to China dropped to 78,316 metric tons in January and February from more than 1.4 million metric tons over the same period a year earlier, down 95%, according to U.S. government data. China bought 244 metric tons in the week ended on April 3, a miniscule amount, after purchasing none for the previous three weeks, the latest data showed.

The decline is a blow to farmers who largely backed Trump in his campaigns for president. Some are forgoing sorghum plantings due to concerns about market disruptions, while others, faced with few good options, are planning to plant more. Some growers are also now questioning their support for Trump's trade policies.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/trump-trade-war-dries-up-sorghum-sales-china-us-farmers-plan-plant-more-2025-04-15/

[Bengus81]

1. Questioning his trade policies? You clowns enabled this POS three times,now you

worry ONLY when it affects you. Such snowflakes....

Don't worry,Trump will bail you out with more subsidies and the rest of us get to PAY THE FUCKING TAB.

[Irish_Dem]

2. The farmers know Trump will send them huge checks again.

Bribe money.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Because DOGE did little to "save money", but instead wrecked complete destruction on the federal infrastructure

I doubt there will be any "huge checks" going to farmers because of the obsessive desire to "make the tax cuts for billionaires permanent".

Gutting Medicaid and Medicare for $800 billion or so won't be enough for the fiscal hawks. They want $1.5 trillion gone. That means the Farm Bill and any "subsidies" will be goners.

[Irish_Dem]

6. In corrupt fascist regimes there is always money for big bribes.

But I hope you are right.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. The last time there were tariffs

it was mainly against China and the bribes "to shut up" were plentiful.

THIS TIME, we have a scenario of "global" tariffs, with WAY more farmers being impacted, because not only have there been retaliatory tariffs against our products by other countries, but as noted with China's strategy, a cut off of purchases of certain products altogether.

The farm machinery industry is getting severely impacted by that as well (e.g., John Deere, Caterpillar, etc).

AND... because a number of farms were being subsidized for some expansion by the government via research grants and those grants have been cut by DOGE, it adds to the fallout.

So there is no way they have enough "walking around/shut up money" to dish out to the agricultural sector.

[Irish_Dem]

9. But Trump can always raise the debt ceiling and print more money?

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Not with those obsessive "fiscal hawks"

The ONLY reason why the House passed the Senate Budget "blueprint" was because they got "a promise" of $1.5 trillion in cuts because they DON'T want to raise the debt ceiling as much as needed.

When the rubber meets the road, that will be one of the sticking points - the hard right who are debt/deficit hawks. The amount needed to gut without having to raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion (as has been suggested for "permanent tax cuts" ) is going to be nuclear war territory!

[Irish_Dem]

13. Trump will just sent the checks out and let everyone else figure it out.

He could not care less about a budget and the law.

He know congress cannot claw back checks to farmers.

[BumRushDaShow]

14. That's true

but then they could torpedo the rest of 45's agenda - at least the "legislative cover of it", which is part of his "concepts of a plan".

However they will run into the MAGat constituents who are being similarly impacted (but are not "farmers" ) who will want their cake and eat it too or else they will "throw out the bums" they elected. So there will be an interesting political dance through the fire soon.

[travelingthrulife]

10. Yup. With his big, beautiful, long signature on the check.

And their minds will go blank again.

[Prairie Gates]

12. Lazy farmers want checks to throw their crop into the sea

Government checks for all farmers who don't want to work and compete on the market!

[TheFarseer]

15. Not so sure

This time he doesn’t need their vote again. Will he pretend he gives a shit about them? Farmers have some money in general but they’re not billionaires. They don’t even have $1 million dollars to have dinner at Maralago with him.

[Irish_Dem]

16. Good point. Will be interesting to see what he does.

Yes he doesn't need them any more.

[eppur_se_muova]

3. IF ONLY this would results in fire sale pricing for sorghum syrup ...

Nothing better for breakfast pancakes/waffles.

[EarthFirst]

4. Farmer Atkinson sees the writing on the wall...

…the farm subsidy bailout program will not be far behind.

“dEm wOke LiBruHls an dEr pRogRuMs…”

[Wicked Blue]

7. To paraphrase Marie Antoinette

"Let them eat sorghum."

(she actually didn't say that but it's a common belief)

[Tarzanrock]

17. The coming climate change Summer droughts across the plains states ...

... will teach those Hayseed farmers like that idiot in Stockton, Kansas just what 105 + degree temperatures do to crops. The extreme "heat" and "drought" in the middle 1930's, particularly in the years 1934 and 1936, brought to Kansas what is known as the "Dust Bowl." History is replete with instances where stupidity repeats itself. There will be a high price to pay for the Turd's idiotic systematic destruction of Federal agencies related to weather, climate change and agriculture.

[Xipe Totec]

18. You can make gluten free beer from Sorghum

It tastes like the glue on the flap of an envelope, but it's gluten free!

The price of undrinkable beer will plummet.

Yay!