Georgia farmers say they are missing out on billions of dollars as the United States' trade war with China continues.

The plight of soybean farmers in particular has caught the ear of President Trump, who is considering a $10 billion aid package to help them survive the boycott.

As time runs out to sell this year's crop, Georgia's agriculture commissioner says more farmers need help. 

A booming soybean crop, but who's buying?

Second-generation soybean farmer Alex Harrell can brag about how much his fields produce.

"In 2023, we were fortunate enough to break the world record on soybeans, and in 24 we were able to break our own record again," he said.

The USDA says that Georgia farmers will reach a record high for soybean production this year at over 8 million bushels.  But China, their largest customer, isn't buying due to tariffs. The country last bought American beans in May and has not bought any for this harvest season, which began in September.

Tyler Harper, Georgia's agricultural commissioner, says the Peach State's farm families don't have a level playing field.

"We compete on a global scale when it comes to our agricultural commodities," Harper says.

Harper is hopeful that Mr. Trump has a plan to help keep these farms' businesses running smoothly. In Mr. Trump's first trade war with China, he gave American farmers more than $22 billion in aid payments in 2019 and nearly $46 billion in 2020, though the latter also included aid related to the COVID pandemic.

"Utilizing those revenues from tariffs and providing that as support to our farm families across the country," he said.

The plan, which is still in the early stages, would provide more than $10 billion in relief for farmers across the country. 

"That's fine and good, but no farmer wants a handout, you know? We don't want a welfare package, you know? What we want is good, strong markets; we want inputs to stabilize," Harrell said.

Hope for federal help during the trade war

Georgia's soybean farmers aren't the only ones struggling due to the ongoing trade wars.

"Our conversation with the administration is, 'We do have soy bean growers in our state, but we're a large peanut state and large cotton state and we grow large amounts of corn and other commodities,'" Harper said.

Even Harrell, who is known for soybeans, grows corn as his primary crop. That's why he hopes some kind of help can come for all farmers.

"The aid is going to be greatly appreciated by every farmer in Georgia, I can assure you that. But at the end of the day, it's simply not enough," he said.

While Georgia farmers wait to see whether an aid package is solidified by the federal government, they say they'll do whatever they can to keep business going during these uncertain times.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.