Soybean farmers across Ohio say Sen. Jon Husted’s trade policies are pushing their livelihoods to the brink, with rising costs, collapsing export markets, and mounting frustration in rural communities that once backed him.
Husted has defended Trump and the GOP’s tariffs as “standing up for American workers” and claimed they “haven’t affected the economy negatively.” But on Ohio farms, many see the fallout firsthand — and it’s not the picture Husted is painting in Washington.
According to new U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates, soybean farmers will face a net operating loss of about $100 per acre this year, a devastating blow for one of the state’s largest export crops. The soybean industry generates approximately $3 billion annually in direct sales and contributes an estimated $8 billion in indirect economic impact, according to Ohio Soybean Association.
Higher costs for seed, fertilizer, and equipment — combined with steep declines in overseas sales — have turned what was once a stable market into a financial minefield.
“We’re not going to catch up for this year because they haven’t bought any up to this date,” said Clark County farmer Brian Harbage, whose operation is roughly half soybeans. “They can’t physically buy enough between now and the end of the year to make up for the losses.”
In Darke County, grower Tim Brehm told the Dayton Daily News that even if soybean prices rebound slightly, rising supplier costs will erase any recovery.
“That’s the whole problem,” Brehm said. “Every time prices go up a little, fertilizer and chemical companies raise theirs too. Then we’re right back to square one.”
Retaliation and ripple effects
China, one of Ohio’s top agricultural trading partners, has slashed its soybean purchases to about half of pre-tariff levels, retaliating against the very tariffs Husted has championed.
Economists warn the ripple effects could extend beyond farms, hurting equipment dealers, grain haulers, and rural banks already seeing a downturn in operating loans.
Shelby County farmer Chris Gibbs said that farmers throughout Ohio are taking major losses because of the Husted-backed tariffs — and it is putting them in a “hell of a mess.”
Gibbs said he believes Trump is “petrified of rural America,” and that the nation’s growers need to stand up in protest of the administration’s ongoing trade troubles.
For decades, Republicans have counted on strong support from rural Ohio. But as the economic toll deepens, some farmers may be rethinking where they place their trust.
Despite the growing backlash, Husted has doubled down, calling the tariffs “a long-term investment” in America’s strength. For farmers watching another season end in red ink, that promise rings hollow.
