Aug. 7, 2025 The Midwest Center For Investigative Reporting
A historic trade deficit and Trump’s fight for tariff powers
The U.S. is on track for its largest agricultural trade deficit in history, hitting $24.5 billion in just the first five months of 2025. This historic gap, where the nation imported nearly $97 billion in farm goods while exporting only $72 billion, marks an $80 billion swing from the trade surpluses of just a few decades ago.
In this week’s Data Harvest, assistant editor Lauren Cross explains how the deficit comes as a federal appeals court weighs the legality of President Trump's sweeping tariffs.
For decades, farm exports reliably outpaced imports, supporting rural economies and cementing the U.S. as a global agriculture powerhouse. But that trend reversed in 2022 and has only deepened, a pattern some analysts attribute to global competitors like Brazil and the EU ramping up trade deals.
The trade deficit is only expected to widen as the USDA projects a $49.5 billion agricultural trade deficit for all of fiscal year 2025.
More on tariffs:
Investigate Midwest reporter Monica Cordero has also been reporting on Trump’s trade war and the impact on farmers. In one story, she investigated the loss of export business with China and why it won’t easily come back.
In June, Monica also reported on how Trump’s trade war might be worse for farmers this time around compared to his first term.
— Ben Felder, editor in chief
Mar-Jac Poultry, Chick-fil-A’s chicken provider, fined for child labor
By John McCracken, Investigate Midwest
Three things to know:
One of Chick-fil-A’s major poultry providers, Mar-Jac Poultry, was fined $385,000 for illegally employing children as young as 13 at its Alabama facility.
14- and 15-year-olds worked overnight shifts and performed hazardous tasks, including eviscerating poultry and operating forklifts.
16-year-old Duvan Tomas Perez died in 2023 while cleaning machinery at Mar-Jac’s Mississippi plant. He is one of two workers who died at the site in recent years.
Read more here.
OPINION: EPA vows to kill bedrock climate ruling for chump change
By Dave Dickey, Columnist
Now we know the value the Environmental Protection Agency places on the bedrock foundation that enables the federal government to control engine exhaust — $54 billion a year.
EPA thinks $54 billion is way, way, WAY too much money to spend limiting emissions for cars and trucks and that all those pesky regulations are getting in the way for Americans to buy “safe and affordable cars.”
Nevermind that the EPA’s own regulatory impact analysis says controlling car and truck greenhouse gas emissions will save consumers $820 billion at the gas station and provide a whopping $1.8 trillion in climate and public health benefits over the next 30 years.
Now the EPA wants to throw all that away.
Read more here.
ICYMI: Senator flags Tyson over child labor concerns as Labor Department faces cuts
By John McCracken, Investigate Midwest
Back in May, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri called for a federal investigation into allegations of child labor at Tyson Foods’ facilities. Despite Tyson’s denial of wrongdoing, whistleblower reports claim underage workers were working there. Meanwhile, significant staff reductions to the Department of Labor raise concerns about the agency’s capacity to effectively investigate and uphold child labor laws. But Tyson isn’t the only one accused of risking children’s safety. John McCracken's latest investigation uncovers child labor violations at Chic-fil-A’s chicken supplier Mac-Jac Poultry, too.
Watch the full interview between John and Sen. Hawley here.
Our next 'Sunset on the Farm' is Sept. 14!
On Sunday, Sept. 14, join Investigate Midwest and our IowaWatch newsroom for an evening at Walker Homestead in Iowa City. We'll have live music, delicious wood-fired pizza, a silent auction and a sunflower to take home (weather permitting). All proceeds support our independent, public service journalism.
Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit newsroom. Our mission is to serve the public as a watchdog over influential agricultural corporations and institutions through in-depth and data-driven investigative journalism.
