Governor JB Pritzker declared an agricultural trade crisis in Illinois Wednesday, signing Executive Order 2025-07 in response to mounting farm financial distress that state officials blame on ongoing federal tariff policies.
Since February 2025, the United States has imposed steep tariffs—some reaching 145%—on Chinese imports, prompting China to retaliate with tariffs of up to 34% on American soybeans and other agricultural goods. China, once the largest buyer of U.S. soybeans, slashed purchases in recent years from 62% of all U.S. exports in 2016 to just 18% in 2018. According to the executive order, “China has purchased limited Illinois and or U.S. soybeans for the 2025/26 commodity market year,” severing a vital lifeline for local producers.
The devastation extends beyond soybeans: Illinois corn, wheat, and other commodities have faced reduced export opportunities and eroding market share, threatening the economic foundation of rural communities. Farmers warn that permanent loss of Chinese markets could trigger “irreversible damage” across the state, even as the federal government prioritizes bailouts for Argentine producers over support for domestic farms.
Agriculture is Illinois’ largest industry, driving $26.4 billion in annual economic impact. In 2023, state agricultural exports totaled $13.7 billion, with farmers heavily dependent on international buyers now lost to trade disruptions. The American Soybean Association cautioned that U.S. soybean producers “cannot survive a prolonged trade dispute” with China.
Compounding the crisis, U.S. plans to increase imports of Argentine beef—a country that has sold over $801 million of beef to the U.S. in the past five years while purchasing only $7 million in return—threaten the market for Illinois’ 10,713 beef farms and their 333,000 head of cattle. The governor’s statement highlighted the “100-to-1 trade imbalance” and the risks to local producers as the federal government “seeks to reward [Argentina] with expanded market access.”
Illinois farmers and rural communities report mounting financial instability, bankruptcy risks, and pressures to sell generational family farms. With agricultural distress rippling through small towns, local clinics, schools, and businesses increasingly feel the strain.
In recent years, Illinois has expanded mental health supports for the farm sector. The Farm Family Resource Initiative, launched in partnership with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and the Illinois Department of Agriculture, now offers confidential telehealth counseling and the 833.FARM.SOS helpline across all counties.
Recent data from the National Rural Health Association shows that U.S. farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, due to unique stressors like financial pressures, climate uncertainty, and rising costs.
Governor Pritzker’s executive order directs the Illinois Department of Agriculture and Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to focus on developing domestic agricultural markets and supporting producers facing unprecedented instability. The order also mandates continued investment in mental health programs for farm families.
