That’s from WaPo. In 2017, the US exported 1.2 billion bushels to China: North Dakota’s orphan soybeans today are nearly 1/5 of total sales to China in 2017…
“Lots of guys will be scrambling,” said Joe Ericson, a grower who operates a 5,000-acre farm near Wimbledon. “It’s going to be a struggle. This year might not be as bad because a lot of guys have forward-contracted a lot of this year’s crop already. But if it goes into next year, it could be tough for soybean.”
Peterson has about 25 percent of his crop under contract with a buyer and will store the rest. Many farmers in the region have begun dusting off old bins for storage. Others are hoping to build new storage facilities for the overflow, but steel and aluminum tariffs have driven up construction costs.
“We’re getting hit by both sides of the equation here,” he said.
This graph is helpful for those who believe current prices are not severely affected by Chinese tariffs.
Source: barchart.com, accessed 10/14/2018.
