In the words of President Trump, “Tariff is the most beautiful word in the dictionary.” Tariffs were also a word that dominated agricultural news coverage in 2025 and the chaotic tariff strategy tops the Red River Farm Network list of the top ag stories of the year. Trump took up the issue during his State of the Union Address, saying other countries impose large tariffs on the United States. “This is happening by friend and foe; this system is not fair to the United States and never was.” Reciprocal tariffs were implemented on April 2. The aggressive trade agenda put U.S. agricultural exports in the crosshairs. Soybeans were a clear example. Before tariffs, China was the largest buyer of U.S. soybeans. The expanded tariff strategy made U.S. soybeans uncompetitive in world markets and China shifted purchases to South America. The Administration’s tariff strategy did bring many countries to the table and framework trade deals were negotiated with numerous countries.
