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.
Louisiana and Washington Bear Brunt of Trade Losses
The sharp decline in U.S. agricultural exports to China is hitting regional economies unevenly, with the South, Midwest, and West Coast absorbing most of the damage, Farm Flavor reports. From January through August, Louisiana suffered the largest loss — a $1.85 billion decline, mainly due to reduced soybean shipments through Gulf ports.
Washington followed with a $1.36 billion drop, also driven by lower soybean movement, while Texas saw exports fall 80% as coarse grain shipments disappeared entirely. California lost $808 million, including an 89% decline in tree nut exports, and Illinois lost $545 million as soybean volumes contracted sharply.
Southern cotton states — Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, and Virginia — recorded declines ranging from 62% to 92%, highlighting the depth of market dependency on Chinese mills.
Only a handful of states saw gains, including Michigan, Vermont, New Jersey, and Florida, but these increases were minor and insufficient to offset the widespread national downturn.
Farm-Level Takeaway: China’s retreat is disproportionately hurting exporters in the Gulf, Plains, and West Coast, with soybean and cotton states facing the steepest regional stress.
Tony St. James, RFD-TV Markets Specialist
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders spoke with RFD-TV’s own Susan Alexander this Monday morning on the Market Day Report to explain Arkansas’s recently passed giving lawmakers greater authority to sanction foreign ag-land ownership within the state.
October 30, 2023 12:51 PM
·
The failure of a grain elevator can cause large problems for farmers and for the local community it serves. A farmer who knows their rights and where they stand if an elevator fails can be in a better position than those farmers who aren’t as well informed. That is the topic of today’s blog post by RFD-TV Legal Contributor Roger A. McEowen.
October 04, 2023 02:46 PM
·
A recent news story involving a group of farmers in Mississippi reveals the potential downside of selling grain under a deferred payment contract. The risk of deferred payment ag commodity sales and what can be done for protection—that is the topic of today’s blog post.
October 02, 2023 03:12 PM
·
Is a handshake as good as your word? That is the topic of today’s blog post by RFD-TV farm legal expert Roger A. McEowen — the ability to enforce oral contracts for the sale of goods.
October 02, 2023 01:58 PM
·
When it comes to Kansas’ “Right to Farm” law, and property rights with respect to road ditch right-of-ways and the common law and trespassing and nuisance — how far can one go without infringing on others? RFD-TV’s Farm legal expert Roger McEowen details a recent opinion by the Kansas Court of Appeals in a case involving a hog farmer, which, he says, is perhaps the most egregious ag nuisance case that has ever gone to an appellate-level court in Kansas.
September 07, 2023 12:14 PM
·
Chefs Chris Carter and James Peisker believe we have the power to make the world a better place with every meal. Through Porter Road butcher, they are now turning this belief into reality.
August 23, 2023 01:29 PM
·
RFD-TV’s own Marlin Bohling proved he is more than “just Ken” with his yummy “BarBieQuacamole Taco Burgers.” Get the recipe here — it’s a 10!
August 17, 2023 02:20 PM
·
