Soybean growers call for resolution to conflict as exports shrink

After going through a tough year, what's next? It's simply a question that has been lingering in almost every farmer's mind these days.

"It's so unpredictable. The uncertainty is the hardest part for farmers," she said.

Beyer said that resolving the trade dispute with China tops her biggest wishes this year, as US farmers want to "have a satisfied customer", which "happened to be China for many years".

Beyer's views have been widely shared by many other US bean growers.

"China has been an important market to the United States, and we want to continue to be a reliable supplier," said Kevin Paap, president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau.

Paap, the fourth-generation owner of his family farm that primarily produces soybeans and corn, said the US and China should negotiate to figure things out.

"If we can work together to come up (with) some agreements that benefit both sides, it's important to agriculture," he said, adding that US farmers want trade rather than aid.

The American Soybean Association, which represents more than 300,000 soybean farmers, issued a statement in early May, opposing using unilateral tariffs to address US trade deficits with China and other countries.

Instead, the organization suggested the negotiation of trade agreements and other measures that can increase US agricultural exports, including soybeans.

If it continues, the friction will become increasingly difficult to recover, said Davie Stephens, ASA president and a soybean grower from the US state of Kentucky.

"With depressed prices and unsold stocks expected to double by the 2019 harvest, soybean farmers are not willing to be collateral damage in an endless tariff war," he said.