NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RFD-TV) — U.S. agricultural exports to China collapsed in 2025, falling 54 percent from January through August and wiping out $7.4 billion in value, according to Farm Flavor’s analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) trade data.
China remains a top buyer, but renewed geopolitical tensions, shifting procurement strategies, and slowing feed demand triggered the steepest decline in more than a decade.
Soybeans absorbed the largest year-over-year decline, dropping $2.7 billion and accounting for one-third of total export losses. Cotton shipments fell nearly 89 percent, while grain trade fractured across the board: coarse grain exports collapsed 97 percent, corn exports plunged 99 percent, and wheat shipments dropped to zero.
Livestock markets were not spared. Beef exports declined 54 percent, and pork sales fell 20 percent. Only dairy remained relatively stable, slipping just 2 percent.
Nationally, the shift reflects China’s accelerated reliance on South American suppliers, especially Brazil, alongside structural economic shifts that reduced feed imports and reshaped global competition.
This is part one of a three-part series.
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