Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal Ohio Ag Net’s Joel Penhorwood talks with Dr. Ian Sheldon at the 2025 Ohio State Agricultural Outlook and Policy Conference for one of the most detailed and eye-opening breakdowns of global trade we’ve shared to date.
Dr. Sheldon unpacks the unprecedented across-the-board U.S. tariff increases, how current legal battles could reshape trade policy, and what retaliation, especially from China, means for American agriculture.
The conversation goes into soybean export uncertainty, Brazil’s rising competitive edge, how Chinese state-owned companies are influencing purchase commitments, and why North American trade through the USMCA could become the next major flashpoint.
Table of Contents:
0:00 – U.S. tariffs: where things stand now
1:30 – Why these tariffs are unprecedented
3:50 – Legal fight: can the President impose these tariffs?
7:10 – What the Supreme Court may decide
9:10 – What happens next if tariffs are struck down
11:00 – How China retaliated—impact on U.S. soybeans
13:20 – China’s purchase commitments & skepticism
15:55 – Brazil’s rising competitiveness
20:30 – Potential export losses for U.S. agriculture
22:20 – What Sheldon is watching next
23:25 – The next major trade concern: USMCA in 2026
27:00 – Closing thoughts
