For crop farmers, winter is the offseason. But that doesn’t mean they take the winter off. It’s meeting season — going to endless seminars or having discussions about better ways to farm — and planning season.

Farmers know every year they’re going to encounter surprises from things out of their control, like drought or pests. This year, great growing conditions led to a bin-busting soybean harvest, but a tit-for-tat exchange of tariffs with China meant that country went from being a major buyer to virtually ignoring U.S. soybeans.

As President Donald Trump continues to wage a multi-front trade war with some of the U.S.’ biggest economic partners, farmers have borne some of the heaviest financial burden.

While President Trump’s trade wars have pitted steelworkers against farmers in Illinois, that doesn’t mean that those affected by recent trade policies aren’t worried about each other.

Trump's trade fights have put some members of Congress in a tough spot: Do you stand with steelworkers whose mills might benefit from new tariffs? Or soybean farmers whose exports are at risk?