Business

The economy

Trump's America

Opinion

Stephen Bartholomeusz Senior business columnist October 6, 2025 — 11.58am

US soybean farmers are in the midst of harvesting what is likely to be a near-record crop. Thanks to Donald Trump’s trade wars, much of it may be unsold.

Such are the straits the farmers find themselves in that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent – who himself produces soybeans, among other agricultural products – has foreshadowed a $US10 billion-plus ($15 billion-plus) rescue package, perhaps as early as this week, for farmers who have seen demand for their soybeans dive even as their costs have been inflated by US tariffs on fertilisers and tariff-induced price increases for farm machinery.

The US soybean farmers are expected to produce about 4.3 billion bus

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