The U.S. trade war with China could spell trouble for Kentucky soybean farmers, as lost exports threaten to further depress crop prices.

Trade conditions add to historic economic pressures on Kentucky agriculture, including steep input costs.

Without relief, Kentucky could see accelerated farm consolidation and the loss of more acres of farmland to development.

In the spring, Kentucky farmers planted millions of acres with soybeans, corn and other crops, and hoped a heated trade war with the top importers of American agricultural goods would not last long.

It is now fall, and Kentucky farmers are beginning to run combines through their fields. They will harvest soybeans, Kentucky's top crop, from an area twice the size of Rhode Island.

But the trade war has persisted, and a deal has

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