China typically buys more than half of the soybeans grown in the U.S. But the ongoing trade war means farmers in the Midwest must consider other options — and none are as profitable.

American soybean producers are readying for the harvest season. But so far, China, the biggest buyer of U.S. soybeans, hasn’t placed a single order for the upcoming market year. The absence has sent farmers scrambling to determine what to do with their crops.

It’s a problem that’s been simmering since 2018, the last time China was embroiled in a trade war with the U.S. Mike Langseth, a farmer in North Dakota, remembers that year all too well.

“It was hard to pencil in a profit,” he said. “It was hard to see how we were going to be able to continue operating because you look at the numbers, and it was a loss

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