Farmers already worry about things like crop prices, the cost of farm supplies and extreme weather.Now, President Trump's signature tariffs — and the federal government under the Trump administration — pose more big question marks.We hear from Ann Veneman, the Secretary of Agriculture under George W. Bush.And Robert Smith and Wailin Wong from NPR's The Indicator from Planet Money report on what economic uncertainty means for one farmer.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Farmers do not like uncertainty. They want to know the prices their crops would fetch before they plant them. And they want to know how much it'll cost to buy seeds and fertilizer and farm equipment. And they want to know they won't be hit by drought or bird flu. But right now, things are not certain in farm country.
Things are changing hour by hour. How do you operate a business that way?
Justin Sherlock is a farmer, also president of the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association. As our colleague Kirk Sigler reported from North Dakota, his uncertainty is compounded by tariffs and when or if they take hold. President Trump's tariffs and tariff threats on foreign imports... have led to other countries retaliating with tariffs on American agricultural exports.
For a soybean farmer, that would make Canadian fertilizer more expensive to import and would result in millions of tons of soybeans not being sold and exported to China.
The tariffs will go on agricultural product coming into America and our farmers starting on April 2nd. It may be a little bit of an adjustment period.
In his speech to Congress, President Trump asked farmers to bear with him. His hope is that the American economy eventually adapts to unlock a bigger domestic market for farmers.
So to our farmers, have a lot of fun. I love you too. I love you too. It's all going to happen.
Under the first Trump administration's trade war, the federal government paid out billions to keep farmers afloat, but their businesses are still recovering. And Justin Sherlock has crops to plant this spring.
You can't take that to the banker and say, well, our political leadership must have a plan, so give me a loan.
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