BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) -- At an Illinois grain tour in Bloomington, the director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture said having no deal with China would lead to farmers going bankrupt.

"Last year, China bought $1.4 billion worth of soybeans from the state of Illinois. This year, there is yet to be one purchase of soybeans from the entire United States by China," said Jerry Costello.

China makes up the majority of Illinois soybean sales, as the country's 1.4 billion people use the product for its high protein and fat.

Even with all the other soybean-buying nations combined, they wouldn't make up for the gap China could leave if a deal isn't made, according to Costello.

He also said soybean sales still haven't recovered from the last trade war with China during the first Trump a

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