The U.S. Farm Belt braced for deeper pain from the escalating trade battle between the world’s two biggest economies after China said it would suspend all imports of U.S. agricultural goods.
China’s move will impact farmers raising fuzzy green soybean pods in Illinois, milking cows in California and feeding hogs in North Carolina, all of whom have seen business suffer as a result of tariffs that Chinese officials implemented last year.
China’s suspension of U.S. farm purchases is a “body blow” to U.S. farmers and ranchers, said Zippy Duvall, a Georgia farmer and head of the American Farm Bureau Federation. “We urge negotiators to redouble their efforts to arrive at an agreement, and quickly,” he said.
Feeding China’s growing appetite has meant big business for the U.S. farm economy. China was one of the biggest export destinations for U.S. agricultural commodities from 2009 to 2010 alongside Canada and Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2017, Chinese buyers imported $19.5 billion in farm goods.
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