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Concern over tariffs impact on soybean market share

The chairman of the Illinois Soybean Association says he has many worries regarding the new tariffs announced by the Trump administration.

Ron Kindred, who farms in Logan County, tells Brownfield, “The concern is how long is it gonna last? How much pain is it gonna cause?” He says, “How low will our commodity prices go?”

He says he’s also concerned about long-term impacts to U.S. soybean market share, which has diversified since the last trade war.

“Some of those countries that we had aligned ourselves with, and increased demand for our soybeans, are seeing these tariffs put on them,” he says.

Kindred says the abrupt change in policy damages those relationships.

“We want to be known as a consistent, reliable supplier of high-quality soybeans to the global marketplace.”  He says, “Can we get that trust back?”

Kindred says farmer profitability relies on access to global markets.  For example, he says Illinois exports 60% of its soybeans grown each year.  

AUDIO: Ron Kindred – Illinois Soybean Association