China

President Trump is aiming remarkably high with his goal, relayed by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, of a $25 billion increase farm sales to China, already the largest customer for U.S. ag exports. Not only is $25 billion more than double what China is expected to purchase this year, it is equal to 18 percent  of the forecast for total U.S. farm exports this year.

While U.S. and Chinese officials publicly set a goal of “meaningful increases” in farm exports, President Trump wants to more than double U.S. sales to China in the near term, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Wednesday.

In a pair of tweets on Monday, President Trump touted a potential trade deal with China that would mean massive Chinese purchases of U.S. farm exports. The tweets followed a joint statement by the two nations that a deal would include “meaningful increases” in agricultural goods.

President Trump is a maverick when it comes to international relations, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Wednesday while assuring farm-state senators that successful negotiations would resolve the threat of a trade war.

President Trump says his administration will "make it up" if farmers and ranchers are hurt by Chinese trade retaliation. Two agricultural leaders in Congress were skeptical of possible politically driven bail-outs on Tuesday, with Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts saying, "We don't want another subsidy program. We need to sell our product."

China threatened to put 25 percent tariffs on U.S. farm exports "because they think it hits me," President Trump said on Monday, but "we'll make it up to them (farmers) and in the end they're going to be much stronger than they are now." Deputy Agriculture Secretary Steve Censky, at a separate appearance, said the USDA was considering options that include purchase of surplus commodities to prop up prices.

As the Trump administration is moving ahead with $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese-made technology products, Chinese officials "indicated in a very gentle way" that U.S. soybeans could face retaliation, said Iowa Sen Chuck Grassley. "Only time is going to tell" if President Trump will win the trade dispute, said Grassley, who met Chinese officials last week as part of a congressional delegation visiting China and South Korea.

At the same time he threatened an additional $100 billion in tariffs on China, President Trump said on Thursday that the government will use its broad powers to protect U.S. farmers and agricultural interests from “China’s unfair retaliation.”

President Trump sent a message to U.S. farmers in a phone call with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue: “We’re not going to allow them to be casualties if this trade dispute escalates. We’re going to take care of our American farmers.”

Hog farmers are headed for a money-losing year and a major factor will be the drying up of $1 billion a year in exports to China, says Purdue economist Chris Hurt. But Chinese consumers will feel little pain from the 25 percent tariff on U.S. pork because the EU and Canada are alternative suppliers. China acted sooner than expected with its weekend announcement of $3 billion of counter-measures on U.S. goods in response to President Trump's tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

Three years after gaining full access to Chinese consumers, U.S. apple growers may be hit with a 15 percent tariff in a rapidly growing market. Beijing listed agricultural products, including fresh fruit, pork and wine, as potential targets for retaliation because of Trump administration tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, putting U.S. producers on edge about the possible loss of valuable markets.

Farmers are worried about foreign retaliation to U.S. trade sanctions, said the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, suggesting that Congress may have to create a “special payment due to retaliation.”