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Kansas farmers look away from China

KANSAS (KSNT) – Kansas farmers have been hit hard by the lack of demand from China, but now they’re starting to look elsewhere for international demand.

China was the largest buyer of soybeans in the world, often buying half of U.S. exports each year. But China’s failure to purchase new crop soybeans since the beginning of the Trump administration has devastated markets and farmers across the US

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Reacting to the lack of demand from China, a group of soybean farmers and personnel from 12 Midwestern states Including KansasHe visited South Korea and Japan in September to enhance U.S. agriculture and long-standing relations between the two countries. Kaleb SmallHe was one of the Kansas representatives who was Commission Administrator and CEO of the Kansas Soybean Association.

While there, we held meetings throughout the supply chain, including: the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service in both countries; Incheon Port in Seoul, which handles more than 3.5 million containers annually and transports soy products in and out; One of fourteen CJ Cheiljedang crushing plants in Korea that processes U.S. soybeans; Bookook Feed, which transforms soybean meal into value-added animal feed (90% of its ingredients are sourced internationally); Fuji Oil, a Japanese producer of powdered and textured soy protein as an ingredient for food companies as well as edible oils; and numerous other buyers, users and end customers of U.S. soybean growers.

Kaleb Little wrote in an October 2025 press release:

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There are a combined 170 million people in Japan and South Korea who depend on the rest of the world for more than half of their food and supplies. In both countries, soybeans are a very popular source of protein and are used in dozens of different recipes.

in japanSoybeans are used in foods and ingredients such as soy sauce, miso, tofu, edamame and more. While in South KoreaSoybeans are mostly used for doenjang (a Korean soybean paste), koji, natto, curd, and other pastes.

Even as Kansas farmers struggle with low commodity prices, high input costs and other challenges in this year’s harvest, market development efforts are a top priority for groups like the Kansas Soybean Commission. And if the Chinese market continues to avoid buying U.S. soybeans, our farmers may soon have more demand elsewhere.

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