U.S. farm groups push for Chinese purchases ahead of Trump–Xi Beijing meeting

Farm exports are the easy part of the U.S.-China relationship — or at least the less explosive part. That is why American farm groups are watching this week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing so closely. They want something concrete they can actually sell. But the gap is pretty clear: soybeans are still the headline crop, and turns out that is also the market where China has the least reason to give the U.S. a big new win. ### What are farm groups actually asking for? They want China to buy more American agricultural goods, basically as a deliverable both sides can point to without reopening the hardest fights over tech, Taiwan, or security. Chad Hart at Iowa State told Brownfield that U.S. producers are still looking for additional Chinese soybean purchases under the informal understandings already in place, and he flagged feed grains and beef as other obvious targets. (brownfieldagnews.com) ### Why do soybeans matter so much? Soybeans are the biggest-ticket U.S. farm export to China by far. Reuters’ reporting says China bought about $12 billion worth in 2024, which dwarfed the roughly $4.5 billion it bought of corn, sorghum, wheat, beef, and poultry combined. So if you are an Iowa farmer, a soybean commitment is the thing that feels real — not because it is symbolic, but because it moves actual money. (brownfieldagnews.com) ### So why are expectations still modest? Because the market thinks China may not want to go much beyond the soybean promises made after the October 2025 Trump-Xi meeting. That earlier understanding called for 12 million metric tons in the near term and 25 million metric tons annually after that. Traders and analysts now say the room for a fresh soybean surprise looks limited, even if Beijing does agree to buy more corn, sorghum, milling wheat, beef, or poultry. (money.usnews.com) ### What changed in China’s buying pattern? Brazil happened. China bought roughly 20% of its soybeans from the U.S. in 2024, down from 41% in 2016. That is the big structural shift sitting underneath this summit. China has spent years diversifying away from U.S. supply, and Brazil has been the main winner. Once that trade flow hardens, it is tough to reverse with one summit handshake. (iowacapitaldispatch.com) ### Why are corn and sorghum getting attention? Because those are the markets where China may still have room to make a gesture. Hart said China has been more active in feed grains over the past six months, with a surge in sorghum sales already showing up. Reuters also points to corn and sorghum as likely candidates for volume deals. In other words, if soybeans are mostly spoken for, feed grains may be the practical way to show progress. (money.usnews.com) ### What about beef? Beef is the other piece U.S. farm groups keep bringing up. Hart said American beef exports to China have been hurt by the tariff fight over the past year and a half. That makes beef different from soybeans — it is less about defending a huge existing flow and more about reopening lost access. If the summit produces movement there, ranchers will notice even if soybean headlines get more attention. (brownfieldagnews.com) ### Why is Trump bringing business executives? Because this trip is also a sales mission. Reuters says more than a dozen CEOs and senior executives are joining, including Cargill chair Brian Sikes. That signals the White House wants commercial announcements, not just diplomatic theater. Agriculture fits that goal neatly — easy to announce, measurable in tonnage, and politically useful in farm states. (brownfieldagnews.com) ### Bottom line The likeliest farm story out of Beijing is not a giant soybean reset. It is a narrower package — maybe grains, maybe meat, maybe some face-saving language around soybeans already on the books. That would still matter. But for U.S. farmers hoping China will go back to being the customer it was a decade ago, the harder truth is that Brazil changed the map. (money.usnews.com)