By Tom Latek/Kentucky Today
FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – The Kentucky Soybean Association (KSA) says they welcome the Trump administration’s latest actions to prioritize Kentucky and U.S. soybean farmers in the recent announcement regarding U.S. – China trade.
Following months of uncertainty around Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans and other agricultural products, the KSA says this positive development is encouraging news for Kentucky farm families who rely on open market access to drive soybean demand.
While details are still emerging, the White House released a fact sheet indicating that China has agreed to purchase a minimum of 12 million metric tons (MMT) of U.S. soybeans during the last two months of 2025. That translates to about 441 million bushels, and KSA is pleased to see the number framed as a minimum. While this is a large number, it represents less than half of China’s most recent annual purchase levels.
The White House release further indicated China’s agreement to purchase at least 25 MMT of U.S. soybeans in each of 2026, 2027 and 2028. China also agreed to resume purchasing U.S. sorghum and hardwood logs. In addition, China will take significant measures to end the flow of fentanyl to the United States. Specifically, China will stop the shipment of certain designated chemicals to North America and strictly control exports of certain other chemicals to all destinations in the world.
“We need China as a market, and we are thankful that they’re buying U.S. beans again,” said KSA President Jonathan Reynolds, who farms near Clinton. “But this purchase, or any one purchase, isn’t the magic bullet that will end the farm economy crisis. Purchase commitments don’t necessarily mean real sales, like we have seen with China not meeting the purchase minimums they agreed to in the Phase One deal. We have to diversify our markets, and I for one think that keeping more U.S. soybeans here and increasing our domestic crush for uses in the biofuels market is another step in the right direction.”
The KSA adds, China will suspend all retaliatory tariffs that it has announced since March 4, 2025. This includes tariffs on a vast swath of U.S. agricultural products: chicken, wheat, corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy products.
This article was originally published by Kentucky Today on Nov. 5, 2025.
Tom Latek has been the Frankfort correspondent for Kentucky Today, the online news service of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, since 2016. Prior to that, he worked at radio and television stations in Frankfort, Lexington, and Louisville, since moving to Kentucky in 1982.
