Arkansas farmers remain in limbo on soybean prices as trade uncertainty persists

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]Friday evening to you. President Trump [music] is back at the White House tonight having wrapped up a high stakes summit with China's Xi Jinping. The president says during that summit the Chinese agreed to ramp up imports of American soybeans. So, why aren't Arkansas farmers more excited? Here's Channel 7's Tyree White.

[00:00:21]Chris, China is the world's largest buyer of soybeans. So, any sign of a new trade deal can have a big impact on farmers here in Arkansas. President Trump said China would purchase billions in US soybeans, but without specific details many farmers say the market had a bad reaction. Yeah. What about the deals in China? Did you get a deal on soybeans? You know, the farmers >> Yeah, the farmers are going to be very happy. They're going to be buying billions of dollars of soybeans, yeah.

[00:00:48]Fresh after President Trump's trip to China, the hope was simple for many Arkansas farmers that President Trump's meeting with China's president would lead to a major boost in soybean sales.

[00:00:59]This this morning uh for producers, you know, that was something that that we were hopeful that uh Trump would mention specifically uh as as it relates to the soybean market. China buys the most soybeans in the world, and Arkansas grows more soybeans than any other crop. But, after the president's trip farmers say they still don't have many answers.

[00:01:22]Everything in in the in global trade uh it's it's seems like it's something new every day, and and almost always directly impacts agriculture. Uh so, it's it's been very uh frustrating. Trump claimed China would buy billions of dollars in American soybeans, but offered few details about any new trade agreement.

[00:01:43]>> The farmers are going to be very happy.

[00:01:45]They're going to be buying billions of dollars of soybeans, yeah.

[00:01:49]In the wake of limited information, the market responded quickly. Soybean contracts fell following the announcement, adding more pressure to an industry already facing years of low prices and trade tensions. Uh looking for, you know, some good news there that that might help increase our commodity prices.

[00:02:09]Uh and unfortunately, we didn't have anything specific and and the market has reacted very sharply to that. The price decline comes at a tough time for farmers across the state. Many planted more soybeans this year because they require less fuel and fertilizer than crops like corn or rice. Those costs have risen sharply during the Iran conflict, making soybeans the more affordable option to grow. But farmers say cheaper production doesn't help much if prices stay too low to make a profit.

[00:02:40]The price drop comes at a difficult time for farmers. Many planted more soybeans this year because they cost less to grow than crops like corn or rice. Rising costs tied in part to the conflict with Iran have made those other crops more expensive to produce. On your side, I'm Terry White.