Kansas Farmers Struggle as Trump Tariffs and Iran War Drive Up Costs and Crush Exports

Brett Neibling stood in the doorway of his modest, air-conditioned office on his 2,500-acre farm in Highland, Kansas. The room, cluttered with computers and farm instruments, was the nerve center of his operation. A machine to his right directed harvested crops into grain bins, while another to his left controlled the drying of corn—a critical step before sale. This space was also where Neibling calculated how to keep his family-run farm afloat.

Outside, his brown Labrador—a notorious troublemaker—idled near the door, indifferent to the mounting pressures inside.

Tariffs and Trade Wars: A Double Blow for Soybean Farmers

Soybean farmers like Neibling have borne the brunt of President Donald Trump’s second-term economic policies. Shortly after his return to office last year, Trump reignited a global trade war, imposing tariffs that triggered retaliatory duties from major U.S. trading partners, particularly China. The situation worsened in March when the closure of the Strait of Hormuz—a vital shipping channel—sent oil and fertilizer prices soaring.

On a windy day in late March, Neibling described the economic climate for farmers as "tough," a word he repeated more than a dozen times during our conversation. The unpredictability of Trump’s social media announcements added another layer of instability. "It seems like we’ve got a market around tweets sometimes," said Neibling, who also serves as president of the Kansas Soybean Association.

Exports to China Plummet to Zero

Farmers report that the current crisis may surpass the 2018 trade war with China, which cost Kansas alone nearly $1 billion in soybean and sorghum sales. In the first eight months of 2025, soybean exports to China fell to just a quarter of the previous year’s levels. From May to November 2025, the U.S. exported no soybeans whatsoever to China. Brazil, the world’s largest soybean producer, now supplies the majority of China’s needs.

"We’ve seen soybeans become much more of a geopolitical pawn than a trading discussion, than a market discussion."

Jonathan Coppess, an associate professor of law and policy at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, highlighted the shifting role of soybeans in global trade. No longer just a commodity, they have become a central piece in Trump’s trade war and a key battleground in the broader struggle with China—a conflict that will define future geopolitics.

Local Farms Bear the Cost of Global Policies

Family farms like Neibling’s offer a stark example of how Trump’s economic and foreign policies directly impact everyday Americans. While rising prices affect consumers nationwide, farmers face disproportionate strain. For them, global tensions have become deeply personal. The consequences of these policies, though potentially temporary, will leave lasting scars on rural communities.