Arkansas soybean farmers struggle amid trade war woes

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Arkansas farmers are grappling with the effects of the global trade war, as tariffs and other factors continue to impact their livelihoods.

Beau Mason, a soybean farmer in Brinkley, expressed his concerns about the challenges posed by tariffs.

“Sometimes it makes it harder for us to sell our products, and that leaves us with a lower commodity price,” he said.

Mason had already set his 2025 farm plan before President Trump announced sweeping trade tariffs.

“That’s the thing about farming a lot of times, once you start to plan, you have to finish the year out with that plan,” Mason explained.

“Once you start putting soybeans in the ground, you can’t change it to rice or corn.”

Brian Kuehl, executive director of the nonprofit Farmers for Free Trade, highlighted the significant decline in exports to China, noting a 50% drop within four months.

“If you’re a farmer who raises soybeans, that’s a big deal because it means it’s put downward pressure on your prices,” Keel said.

Mason is also concerned about China’s shift towards Brazil for soybean imports.

“They’re putting soybeans on the world market that we could be exporting,” he said. “It has a pretty massive impact on our prices that we receive for our soybeans here in the United States.”

With commodity prices low and input costs high, Mason noted that many farmers are operating at or below break-even prices.

“We farm. That’s what we do. We don’t really have any other choices,” he said, emphasizing the need to weather the storm.

Mason said the only choice he has as a farmer is to weather the storm and get through it.