While a trillion dollar + dose of fiscal stimulus continues to pass through the US economy, providing it with a fake sugar rush, the main risk looming for the US economy is protectionism. The ongoing battle over tariffs between President Trump and China have already seized up some global supply chains and triggered the start of a slowdown in the global growth momentum.

The trade war is expected to deepen as President Trump is set to move forward with tariffs of $200 billion more on Chinese goods as soon as after the close today.

Meanwhile, the existing cost of protectionism is already negatively affecting farmers. "The trade war is having impacts on all agricultural sectors,” Gary Schnitkey, Professor in Farm Management at the University of Illinois, told Yahoo Finance in a phone interview.

The main agricultural commodities, Schnitkey explained, are soybeans and pork. Then, there are corn, fruits, and vegetables. "All of these commodity prices are linked together," he said. "If soybean prices fall, so do corn and wheat."

He warned that every kind of farmer experiences a significant loss of income when deflationary price trends hit. Each region in the country specializes in its specific crops. In the Basin and Range, one of the regions being impacted the most from trade wars, it is beef and wheat. In the Heartland, soybeans and corn prices are rapidly declining.

Blake Hurst, a corn and soybean farmer from Missouri, told Yahoo Finance that he has already seen a 15 to 20% collapse in spot prices.

"The only answer is to make progress in negotiations with China since they are the biggest soybean consumers," he said. “Not more government programs, but to make progress."

In the Northern Great Plains and the Prairie Gateway, wheat is king, along with corn and soybeans. Schnitkey pointed out, the region is "experiencing drier weather than normal and production issues."

Crops in the Fruitful Rim consist mainly of fruits, especially citrus, and vegetables. Cotton, soybeans, and corn are in the Mississippi Portal. In the Southern Seaboard, crops such as cotton, peanuts, rice, soybeans, and beef are all being affected.

Hugh Weathers, South Carolina’s commissioner of agriculture, estimates that "the impact of tariffs on our markets to date is at $70 million." Weathers said the uncertainty surrounding the tariffs have already sparked a slowdown that is starting to hurt local farmers.

While the damage from Hurricane Florence is still unknown , there are expectations that the crops in the Carolinas could be severely affected, on top of the stress from trade disputes.

Schnitkey describes the crops in the Eastern Uplands as "a mishmash of things." The East Coast is situated with small farms, which used to be big tobacco producers, but less so now. Cattle is a tremendous source of income for many. Yahoo Finance says the region has been the hardest hit, with a 30% collapse in revenue compared to 2017.

In response to the fallout of President Trump's widening trade conflicts, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a $12 billion farm bailout to American farmers. The initial $4.7 billion of direct payments will go to corn, cotton, dairy, hog, sorghum, soybean, and wheat producers. Farmers started receiving the bailout earlier this month.

The USDA said most of the bailout would be set aside for farmers who grow soybeans. Spot prices crashed after China imposed a tariff on the legume.

The Trump administration will also intervene in physical markets and purchase $1.2 billion of commodities that have been targeted by retaliatory tariffs; It will buy about $559 million of pork, $93 million of apples, $85 million of dairy products, and $85 million of pistachios.

Some farmers have said the financial assistance is not good enough and many are still worried about the effect the tariffs will have on their bottom lines: “I can take it, sure, but I don’t have to be quiet about it.” Ohio farmer Christopher Gibbs, who voted for Trump, speaks out against the president’s trade policy and says America’s escalating trade war with China is hurting his business and decimating farmers.

“I can take it, sure, but I don’t have to be quiet about it.” Ohio farmer Christopher Gibbs, who voted for Trump, speaks out against the president’s trade policy and says America’s escalating trade war with China is hurting his business. https://t.co/UtJADOd2SH pic.twitter.com/mEIETuRnQw — CNN (@CNN) August 4, 2018

"I slept with a billionaire because he said he loved me. I expected to make love, but in the morning I realized I was getting screwed. When I went to tell the world, I was offered cash to keep my mouth shut. Who am I? No, I’m not a model or someone named Stormy. I’m the American farmer," Gibbs wrote in a guest columnist post via the Sidney Daily News.

As for American farmers, it seems a lot of them are begging for mercy to end the trade war now. Whether it will impact how they vote in November, and 2020, remains to be seen.