The USDA report released after the government reopened showed only two Chinese purchases of American soybeans since the summit in South Korea that totaled 332,000 metric tons, short of the 12 million metric tons the Trump administration said China agreed to purchase by January

Government aid might be necessary to help farmers get through this year if they cannot sell to China, but farmers say they would rather sell their crops on the market

“U.S. soybean farmers lose one of their best tools to expand their markets and U.S. standards globally,” said Peter Goldsmith, the University of Illinois-based director of the Soybean Innovation Lab

Caused by a soil-borne fungus, red crown rot has spread to an estimated 22 counties in Illinois last year.