U.S. agriculture is facing major shifts in trade relationships, global demographics and demand patterns that will impact how farmers grow and sell their products, according to Todd Thurman, an international agricultural consultant. 

Despite its history as a dominant importer of U.S. soybeans and pork, China’s demand for agricultural imports is waning due to its rising economic challenges and drastic population decline, said Thurman, founder of Swine Insights International. He has spent 13 years working throughout China in addition to more than 16 other countries across the globe.

Along with population collapse, China’s aggressive push to increase its domestic pork production, including multistory hog farms, could further reduce U.S. export opportunities, Thurman noted. 

“I know everybody has a hard time believing numbers that come out of China, and I certainly understand that hesitancy, but we think there’s a possibility that China could become self-sufficient in pork in maybe...