American Soybean Association President and Ohio soybean farmer Scott Metzger testified today before the Office of the United States Trade Representative during a Section 301 hearing, highlighting the importance of international trade to U.S. soybean farmers and the risks of broad tariff actions.

Metzger said soybeans are the nation’s largest agricultural export, with 68.7 million metric tons exported in the 2024 to 2025 marketing year. Those exports were valued at $29.6 billion and accounted for 58% of total production.

He pointed to the impact of past tariff actions caused in retaliation to Section 301 investigations, including a 76% drop in the value of U.S. soybean exports to China from 2017 to 2018, and warned against policies that could trigger renewed retaliation.

He also noted rising input costs, as farmers rely on global supply chains for essential inputs such as fertilizer, crop protection tools, and seed.

“We are concerned this investigation could lead to remedies that will set back ongoing negotiations and result in even higher tariffs against U.S. soybeans by China,” Metzger said. He also cautioned that sweeping remedies could increase the cost of production for U.S. soybean farmers due to increased input costs at a time when farmers are already facing significant economic pressures across the board.

Metzger urged USTR to take a targeted approach to any potential remedies, including expanding exemptions for critical agricultural inputs and maintaining stability in North American trade by exempting Canada and Mexico from this and additional Section 301 investigations.

The full written comments submitted jointly by ASA and the U.S. Soybean Export Council are available here.