# U.S. farmers suffer 'body blow' as China slams door on farm purchases | Reuters

> China has bought about 14.3 million tonnes of last season's U.S. soybean crop, the least in 11 years, with about 3.7 million tonnes still to ship. China had bought 32.9 million tonnes in 2017 before the trade war, and it applied a 25% tariff on soybeans in July 2018.

- Date: 2019-08-05 · published 2019-08-05T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: trade · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/57442-u-s-farmers-suffer-body-blow-as-china-slams-door-on-farm-purchases-reuters
- Commodities: [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Soybean Meal](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SBM.md)

## Why it matters

Sharply lower Chinese purchases reduce export demand for U.S. soybeans and meal, adding downward pressure on prices and encouraging farmers to hold or sell at lower basis.

## Read by commodity

- SBM: bearish ▼
- SOY: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SOY | 2019-01-07 | [U.S. farmers fret as Chinese soy purchases move elsewhere \| Farmtario](https://feedsoft.ai/events/60936-u-s-farmers-fret-as-chinese-soy-purchases-move-elsewhere-farmtario.md) | -1.1% | +1.0% |
| SOY | 2019-08-01 | [China’s U.S. Soybean Purchases Slump to 2004 Low](https://feedsoft.ai/events/57948-china-s-u-s-soybean-purchases-slump-to-2004-low.md) | -1.8% | -1.3% |
| SOY | 2026-04-07 | [Chinese pigs fed new menu as Beijing weans farmers off US soy \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/14583-chinese-pigs-fed-new-menu-as-beijing-weans-farmers-off-us-soy-reuters.md) | -0.4% | +3.5% |
| SOY | 2023-04-24 | [US corn falls after China cancels purchases; drags wheat, soy lower](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10358-us-corn-falls-after-china-cancels-purchases-drags-wheat-soy-lower.md) | -2.6% | -11.9% |
| SOY | 2025-10-03 | [US soybean farmers, deserted by big buyer China, scramble for other importers \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/22449-us-soybean-farmers-deserted-by-big-buyer-china-scramble-for-other-importers.md) | -0.1% | +6.6% |
| SBM | 2026-04-07 | [Chinese pigs fed new menu as Beijing weans farmers off US soy \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/14583-chinese-pigs-fed-new-menu-as-beijing-weans-farmers-off-us-soy-reuters.md) | +4.5% | +2.1% |
| SBM | 2025-10-03 | [US soybean farmers, deserted by big buyer China, scramble for other importers \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/22449-us-soybean-farmers-deserted-by-big-buyer-china-scramble-for-other-importers.md) | -0.0% | +16.9% |
| SBM | 2025-08-13 | [US losing out on China soybean sales as Brazil fills key supply period \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12449-us-losing-out-on-china-soybean-sales-as-brazil-fills-key-supply-period-reuters.md) | +3.1% | +4.2% |

## Sources

- reuters.com: https://www.reuters.com/article/business/us-farmers-suffer-body-blow-as-china-slams-door-on-farm-purchases-idUSKCN1UV0XJ/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.