Shreve: Restoring access to China will help stabilize prices, incomes 

By U.S. Rep. Jefferson Shreve (R-District 6) 

I recently joined USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins at the Everett family farm in Boone County. That visit was a reminder that the backbone of Indiana’s economy still runs through our fields and farm families. 

Having studied agribusiness at Purdue, I know just how much risk and resilience it takes to keep an operation running. Indiana’s farmers feed and fuel not just our state but the world. From soybeans and corn to livestock and ethanol, agriculture remains the foundation of our economy and our rural communities. 

That’s why the recent trade breakthrough with China — reopening large-scale purchases of U.S. soybeans, including those grown here in Indiana — is welcome news. Our farmers have endured years of uncertainty caused by disrupted export markets they didn’t create. Restoring access to China will help stabilize prices and strengthen income across the Midwest. 

But we can’t build our future on dependence alone. Nearly a third of America’s soybean exports go to China. When that market slows, Indiana farmers feel it immediately. We need to diversify — expanding trade with partners in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Europe, while growing more value-added processing here at home. A broader customer base means more stability for the family farms that keep our communities alive. 

During Secretary Rollins’ visit, we talked about how innovation and conservation can go hand in hand. Hoosier farmers are already leading the way with precision technology, cover crops and smarter resource management. Federal policy should follow their lead — empowering, not constraining, the people who actually work the land. 

In Congress, I approach these issues the same way I ran my business: with a focus on efficiency, accountability and long-term results. That means passing a bipartisan farm bill that strengthens crop insurance, invests in rural broadband, expands market access, and safeguards American farmland from foreign adversaries. 

Farming isn’t just an industry here. It’s a way of life — one built on faith, hard work and common sense. Every time I visit a farm like the Everetts, I’m reminded who I work for: the men and women who rise before dawn to keep America fed and moving forward. 

They don’t need Washington to tell them how to farm. They need Washington to listen — and to deliver policies that make sense. 

That’s Hoosier pragmatism at work.