5 Things To Know: Our Investigation Into China’s Shift To Latin American Agriculture

This past year, China has significantly reduced purchases of U.S. agricultural exports in response to President Trump’s tariff hikes. U.S. farmers are struggling as Chinese companies have sought soybeans and other products from countries such as Brazil. 

But this month, Investigate Midwest’s Monica Cordero took a closer look at just how much China has shifted and how its recent investments in Latin America could mean a long-term drop in U.S. purchases. Here are five takeaways from that investigation: 

Soybeans take the biggest hit

The biggest hit to U.S. farmers has been China’s near-total halt to soybean purchases. Soybeans are a cornerstone of American agriculture, as more than 270,000 farms grow the crop, according to the latest Census of Agriculture. In 2024, more than 40% of U.S. soybean production was exported, with about half going to China.

China has mostly turned to Brazil

Brazil has stepped in as China’s biggest supplier of soybeans, which are used to feed livestock to support protein demand. As of October, Brazil had exported a record 79 million metric tons of soybeans to China, nearly 80% of its total soybean shipments during the period, according to a farmdoc Daily analysis of data from Brazil’s Foreign Trade Secretariat.