The farmers in Iowa are caught in Trump's trade war

It was time for Beau Hanson to put down his bets.

Like other farmers in West -Iowa, Mr. Hanson prepared for spring planting in early April. The decisions that he then made could find out whether he would be in the red or the black -autumn -harvest.

There are always uncertainties in agriculture and all over Monona County, in which Mr. Hanson lives, the farmers weigh them. There were a few hard years. A damp feather in 2024 meant that some farmers had to plant three times again. It's too dry this year. The price of soybeans has decreased, while the costs for seeds and fertilizers have remained high, as well as the interest rates for the loans that the farmers take to buy these things. The prices reached 9 percent, more than twice what they were three years ago.

And now there is an additional variable: a trade war.

The 145 percent tariff, which President Trump imposed Chinese imports in April in April, was fulfilled with a retaliation measure of 125 percent for US goods to China. In practice, this means a strong tax at harvesting the middle west. China is the largest importer of US so -soybeans and buys a value of around 12.8 billion US dollars last year. According to the American Soybean Association, the new tariffs together with various taxes bring the effective tariff for the harvest to 155 percent.

Before Mr. Trump triggered the current tariff war, some farmers in Iowa dealt with the possibility of a third year as a result of the losses. Everything slows down. Lendingers become more careful. Mechanical and heavy equipment sellers also feel the mood shift because the farmers equip an additional year of aging tractors, planters and other large machines instead of buying new ones.

“Every year is uncertain,” said Hanson. “But it's particularly difficult this year.”

Mr. Hanson grew up in Castana, Iowa, and played football at the local high school. After visiting the Iowa Central Community College, where he was an offensive Lineman, the 35 -year -old Mr. Hanson returned home and bought the farm next to the house where he grew up. In contrast to many of his colleagues who left farm life in larger cities for jobs for jobs, he tries to build his future on the fertile soil, which was built up by four generations of his family.