across the country, including in Illinois, may be getting some relief.

The Trump administration is announcing 12 billion dollars in one-time payments to farmers who are facing massive uncertainty amid the administration's ongoing trade wars.

The package is set to cover a portion of the model of losses.

Farmer suffered over the 2025 crop here.

But critics say it's not enough.

Joining us now is one of those critics.

Jerry Costello, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Thank you for being with us.

We appreciate your time.

Yeah, I'd like to start with, you know, Illinois is the nation's leading soybean producer with China as the largest export market.

So what kind of an effect?

You know, have you seen the Trump administration's trade war with China have on Illinois farmers?

>> So the trade war in the tariffs have been absolutely devastating.

We saw no soybean exports from the U.S.

let alone the state of Illinois, the number one producer of soybeans in the United States.

Up until November.

If you track this back to Trump won the first Trump administration.

You look at what occurred there.

>> In 2016 62% of all U.S.

soybeans.

X sported went to China.

>> 2017 President Trump.

Then Putin tariffs in 2018.

That number went from 62% to 18%.

There is no reason to believe this time around will be any better.

It's absolutely ludicrous.

We're in this position.

>> Do you think this aid package adequately offsets the losses that Illinois farmers are facing >> so not not even close again.

Going back to Trump won the first Trump administration.

The losses there in 2018 19 were about 27 billion dollars.

72 1% of that was soybeans.

Specific.

95% of it was China specific.

If you look at that and that time period, we had a 23 billion dollar aid package back then.

Now the losses we're talking about are anywhere from 35 to 45 billion dollars.

And this aid package is less than half of what the one from 2018 s.

>> So what kind of an aid package would you like to see something in that?

35 to 45 range.

>> What so here's what I would tell you what we need far rivers, agriculture.

We need tree not be because this is just a band-aid on a heart attack.

He is trying to slow bleeding.

You know, one year scenario when we have markets deteriorating.

Global trade, it is the answer.

Not So, know, look.

Nobody's going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak a little bit of money is better than nothing.

But this is woefully inadequate.

The end, honestly, the president needs to do in my opinion.

Is changes his tariff tactics, strategic or tactical is one thing this across the board approach has been devastating to agriculture.

>> You know, when the USDA announced the 8 package, it said in a release that this would offset, quote, temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs still impacting farmers following 4 years of disastrous Biden administration policies that resulted and record high input prices and 0 new trade deals.

Does that kind of an assertion square with what you saw farmers facing during the previous administration?

>> If look these terror policies didn't work the first time.

And here's where we're at this time around.

Literally in the last 10 months, tariffs or taxes on nitrogen up 10% tariffs or taxes on herbicides, pesticides, insecticides up 20% tariffs are taxes on and equipment up 13%.

Tara, for taxes on tractors, up 16%.

This is just during the president's term in the last 10 to 11 months.

what hearing and seeing honestly is smoke and mirrors.

>> So yeah, to to that point that it's not just really the cratering of exports that you're dealing with.

Illinois farmers are also facing challenges, you know, getting the supplies that they need as well.

Is that fair to say?

>> 100%.

So the only farmers are being squeezed.

They're getting less for their product.

They're paying more for inputs.

And I'll give you an example.

So right now, as we sit here, quarter is trading somewhere probably around 4.20, year, just under beans are trading about 10, 50 year just under break.

Even for the average Illinois farmer this year is about 4.60, give or take in about 11, 60 on beans.

So anyway, you look at farmers are under water large part because we don't have a market to sell into.

You started the segment off by saying China the largest importer of U.S.

soybeans are they have been?

What business do you know that goes to their number one customer who buys 62% of their products and punches him square in the face essentially saying we don't need you.

>> Will to that point the Trump administration announced in early November that China would buy 12 million metric tons of U.S.

soybeans during the final 2 months of this year.

Has Illinois seen any benefit from that deal yet?

>> good, very small.

let me tell you.

These are more smoke and mirrors.

At the end of the day, 12 million metric tons.

That's half of what's normally been purchased.

So in recent years, China's purchase.

26 to 30 million metric tons.

So when you talk about wow, that's why they're using numbers.

It sounds like a big number.

It is my new, you know, our half compared to what we normally experience.

The 25 million over the next 3 years.

That's what's been normal.

So not anything that's been brought to the table.

It's trying to go back to a normal trade cycle, which to be blunt with you.

I don't know that that's going to happen because right now.

China has it even how the trade agreement that they signed with the Trump administration in 2020, they were, I believe about 20% light.

According to that trade agreement.

So 20% that they didn't purchase that they said they were going to.

I don't see a reason to believe that they're going hold their word this time.

We've got about 30 seconds left.

But I want to ask, you know, the average age of Illinois farmers is 58.6 >> Do you think these kinds of pressures on agriculture could make it even harder to attract younger folks to the profession?

>> It absolutely is.

I'm glad you brought that up because we have more people in the state farming that are over.

75 under.

35.

And when you look at all of the barriers of entry into agriculture, so when costs are still pretty costs are still pretty high right interest rate in fairly high.

Younger people getting into agriculture.

That's who all of this is affecting the most in when they're in a position that they can't make a profit.

In these last couple of years.

But but really exaggerated by this tariff policy.

It's extremely hard to attract new farmers, certainly and in farming.

>> Certainly a lot of challenges there.

Director