MADRID, SPAIN (RFD-TV) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative officials are meeting this week with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Madrid — with tariffs, export controls, and TikTok on the agenda.
China has sharply reduced purchases of American crops, and reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) show no new soybean bookings from China for 2025/26. This follows Beijing’s recent approval of Brazilian sorghum imports and suspension of U.S. shipments, citing quality issues.
The Treasury signaled over the weekend that the current tariff truce will hold until at least November 10, which could give farmers a brief window of stability. However, China has pulled back on U.S. crops, turning to Brazil and Argentina instead for soybeans and sorghum.
For U.S. agriculture, the stakes are high. Farm groups are pressing negotiators to secure firm commitments for Chinese buying, warning that without access to this top market, U.S. producers face lower prices and growing competition.
Year-round E15 remains on the table, but procedural caution and competing regional interests pushed action into a slower, negotiated path.
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Mike Steenhoek with the Soy Transportation Coalition discusses supply chain challenges facing agriculture as snow, sleet and ice threaten most of the Eastern U.S.
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Congressman Adrian Smith of Nebraska joined us with the latest on efforts to secure year-round E15 sales.
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Brian Earnest, an animal protein economist with CoBank, shares insights into current demand trends and the challenges facing broiler production.
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From tariff talks in Europe to SCOTUS uncertainty and rising farm losses, analysts say policy and global supply will shape grain markets in the year ahead.
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