More than 200 national and state agricultural organizations this week appealed to President Trump for economic assistance pointing out that while the budget reconciliation bill signed into law this summer included “significant” changes to commodity programs, farmers won’t see the resulting payments until October 2026. “In the meantime, growers will continue to face enormously challenging market conditions,” the letter says.
The letter doesn’t directly mention the impact of the president’s trade policy, which has resulted in China shutting down purchases of U.S. farm commodities. The letter urged the Trump to, “continue using your considerable international leverage to secure new export market access for farm products. We also ask respectfully that you continue to champion domestic market expansion efforts. We know that building markets takes time, and while our producers do not want to be in the position of having to ask for more assistance, they do need a bridge to get to improved markets.”
The letter comes as both Congress and the Trump administration are considering farm aid packages on separate tracks. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the administration would announce an assistance plan soon which could include using some of the revenue generated from tariffs on agriculture products to fund an aid program. Meanwhile, lawmakers are considering easing restrictions on USDA’s Section 32 spending authority to allow tariff revenue to be used in this way.
Details of the aid package are unknown, but it would come as the world’s two largest economies have been unable to reach a trade deal and China has halted purchases of U.S. beans. China, the biggest foreign buyer of American soybeans for many years, last bought American beans in May and has not bought any for this harvest season, which began in September. Trump said he plans to raise the issue when he meets China’s leader Xi Jinping in South Korea at the end of October.
But the clock is already ticking for U.S. soybean growers, with the harvest already under way. Government aid might be necessary to help farmers get through this year if they cannot sell to China, but farmers say they would rather sell their crops on the market.