Soybean farmers brace for tough year despite SCOTUS ruling - Spectrum News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Soybean farmers are bracing for another tough year despite a major Supreme Court ruling that struck down some of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

What You Need To Know

• Many soybean farmers praised the Supreme Court's ruling to overturn some of President Donald Trump's tariffs

• Soybean farmers have been hit hard by the trade war

• The government is dispersing $12 in aid to farmers, though soybean farmers said it would not cover their losses

The soybean industry was hit hard by last year’s trade war, when China boycotted all U.S. soybeans in response to Trump’s tariffs. Even after China committed in Nov. 2025 to buying 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans by early 2026, soybean exports to China remained 76% lower in 2025 than in 2024, according to USDA data, resulting in about $9.5 billion in lost sales.

Many soybean farmers who blamed tariff policy for their losses praised the Supreme Court’s overturning of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

“We were relieved by the court’s decision. The IEEPA tariffs have significantly increased costs for us in a time when input costs are already higher,” said Scott Metzger, president of the American Soybean Association.

In order to offset farmers’ losses, the Trump administration in December announced $12 billion in onetime payments, including $11 billion for row crops, including soybeans. The American Farm Bureau estimates that Ohio farmers will receive $318 million in payments.

However, the payment rate of $30.88 per acre for soybeans covers less than a third of soybean farmers’ losses last year, which amounted to $109 per acre on average, according to the American Soybean Association.

“It’s needed, but it’s not what we want. We want we want to have free trade, or want to have better trade deals and be able to sell our product at a profit,” Metzger said. “At the end of the day, it’s like putting a Band-Aid on a gushing wound.”

Metzger criticized Trump’s recent announcement of a new 15% global tariff to replace the recently struck-down tariffs.

“We strongly oppose the administration reimposing the tariffs that they’ve already put on, back under other authority,” he said.

Republican lawmakers, however, defended the president’s tariff strategy, saying that Trump will soon lessen the U.S.’s reliance on China as a market by negotiating soybean trade deals with other countries.

“There are going to be have to be adjustments in certain markets. And then the agriculture market has always been a tricky one. There’s always been a lot of governmental involvement in trying to maintain that market,” said Rep. Dave Taylor, R-Ohio. “It’s a work in progress. I know it was an extremely tough year for our soybean farmers. I know it’s on the president’s radar to make sure that this upcoming year is better.”

Soybean farmers are also urging Congress to pass a new farm bill, which hasn’t been updated in nearly eight years, with stronger safety net measures. Lawmakers will start markups of the new farm bill next week.