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South Dakota Farmers Get Left Behind While Argentina Gets a Bailout

  • nikkigronli
  • 2 minutes ago
  • 2 min read

Oct. 16, 2025


Photo by Nikki Gronli of a soybean field at dusk.
Photo by Nikki Gronli of a soybean field at dusk.

South Dakota’s number one industry, agriculture, is being senselessly harmed by tariffs and reckless trade policies. Farmers across our state are feeling the consequences of higher costs, fewer markets, and growing uncertainty about the future.


Now, adding insult to injury, the Trump administration has announced a $20 billion bailout for Argentina. American tax dollars are being used to rescue Argentina’s economy while it directly competes with our farmers. Not only does the Argentine government’s drop in soybean export taxes allow it to sell massive amounts of soybeans to China, but it also drives down soybean prices for American farmers.


The American Soybean Association stated, “U.S. farmers cannot wait and hope any longer,” and they’re right. The hypocrisy couldn’t be clearer. We are subsidizing the competition.

If this continues, South Dakota farmers will pay the price. As foreign competitors gain ground and federal support shifts abroad, more family farms at home could be forced to close.


Consolidation caused by the loss of family farms leaves our agricultural economy less secure. Bigger is not always better. Look at the control large corporations have over our meat processing in America. That was finally being addressed through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP), but that progress is now stalled by the Trump administration.


When family farms disappear, the effects ripple outward. Small-town main streets lose the customers that keep them open. Schools and local healthcare providers lose the tax base that sustains them. County governments feel the financial strain, and the heart of South Dakota grows weaker.


If the administration truly believes in putting America first, it should start by standing with our farmers. Bailing out a foreign competitor is unacceptable.


South Dakota’s members of Congress should be demanding answers.


Our farmers deserve better than to watch their own tax dollars used against them.

Washington must reverse course and keep the Argentina bailout from moving forward. Our government needs to stand with American farmers.  


In breaking news, the bailout has now reportedly grown to $40 billion, with the administration seeking additional funding from a mix of sources. If only they cared as much about the pocketbooks and healthcare access of South Dakotans as they do their corrupt friends abroad.

 
 
 
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