HUNTSVILLE — Alabama’s casualties in the U.S.-China trade war are more than peanuts.
However, you might say the state’s peanut crop is brittle.
China did not import any peanuts – zero, zilch, nada – from Alabama this year, compared to $19.2 million during the same period in 2024.
Overall, the state saw a 66.3% drop in agricultural exports to China from 2024 to 2025. In dollars, that’s negative $23,948,000, compared to the same period last year.
A new analysis from Farm Flavor sheds light on the scale of agricultural losses that led the White House this week to announce a $12 billion bailout for American farmers.
Agriculture and financial experts have linked President Trump’s tariffs and trade disputes to the farm industry’s financial losses.
“The sharp decline in exports is primarily driven by retaliatory tariffs and renewed trade tensions with China, compounded by stiff competition from Brazil and a slowing Chinese economy,” said Hannah Hill at Farm Flavor.
This isn’t the first time Trump has provided financial aid to farmers.
During his first term, he provided $22 billion in 2019 to help cushion them from trade disputes with China. There was $46 billion in 2020, an expanded number that reflected financial challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The aid payments announced Monday will be capped at $155,000 per farmer or entity, and only farms that make less than $900,000 in adjusted gross income will be eligible.
For most farmers, the payment is a bridge to help next year’s planting expenses than a way to recoup their losses, especially for the state’s peanut farmers.
“While we cannot provide a specific dollar amount for Alabama’s share of the $12 billion aid package, we anticipate the state will receive a proportionally significant amount of the funding,” Hill said. “The program is designed to primarily assist row crop producers who have been among the hardest hit.”
The farmers are already ordering supplies for next year’s crops and meeting with their bankers to discuss the loans they will need. But they’re trying to stay optimistic that crop prices will improve if they find more buyers.
Using the latest USDA Foreign Agricultural Service data, Farm Flavor analyzed how deeply exports to China have fallen — and which states and products have been hit the hardest.
The numbers help explain why emergency federal support was deemed necessary, and they provide a benchmark for evaluating whether the new $12 billion aid package is enough.
Here is a summary of the data for Alabama:
- Total change in agricultural exports to China: minus-$23,948,000
- Percentage change in agricultural exports to China: minus-66.3%
- Total agricultural exports January–August 2025: $12,181,000
- Total agricultural exports January–August 2024: $36,129,000
- Product most negatively impacted:Â Peanuts (-100%)
Farm Flavor is a digital publication that provides data-driven reporting of U.S. agriculture, crops, livestock, agritourism and farm-to-table food, often in partnership with state departments of agriculture.
Don’t miss out!  Subscribe to our email newsletter to have all our smart stories delivered to your inbox.
