US soybean farmers seek relief as Chinese orders wither

Fears for future

"We're in the middle of the worst economic downturn that I've seen in my 50 years," John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, said at a regional meeting in Beatrice, Nebraska, in September.

Don Schuller, a corn and soybean farmer, told ABC News: "Agriculture is our foundation here in Nebraska, and many states in the Midwest. If agriculture is failing here everything is going to fail."

Nogueira, the associate professor, stressed that the massive US soybean production cannot be consumed domestically, making international trade critical. "If we want to keep production at the volume that we have right now, or even increase it, we have to sell it in other countries," she said.

The ongoing US federal government shutdown, which started on Oct 1, has exacerbated the issues, experts said. USDA payments through its "Lapse of Funding Plan" have been delayed after all farm-loan activity by the Farm Service Agency was halted.

The Trump administration had reportedly planned to release a first round of aid to farmers, potentially drawing on billions of dollars from the USDA's internal accounts, according to major media reports.

However, a key fund that previously provided $28 billion in aid now only has $4 billion left, far below Republican estimates of $35 billion to $50 billion.

Disbursement of the aid also faces numerous obstacles. With the USDA largely closed due to the government shutdown, delivery of aid is hampered while any attempt to secure additional funding is likely to spark a fierce political battle in the US Congress.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa said billions of dollars in federal assistance could be provided to struggling farmers in two tranches. However, the bulk of any aid would require congressional approval before it can be distributed.

Grassley told reporters on Oct 8 the Trump administration could provide $4 billion from the coffers of the Commodity Credit Corp, an independent agency used to pay for agricultural programs. But he added colleagues on the Senate Agriculture Committee had told him appropriating additional aid for farmers would need Congress to act.

"All we hear from the administration is the need for $10 (billion) to $14 billion, so the final figure hasn't even been agreed upon," he said.