March 8, 2026 | 07:40 GMT +7
Hotline: 0913.378.918
March 8, 2026 | 07:40 GMT +7
Hotline: 0913.378.918
Farmers across the U.S. can expect the new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China and the retaliatory action from those countries to hurt their bottom lines by billions of dollars if they stay in place, while consumers could quickly see higher prices for agricultural products and ground beef.
Farmers and meat producers across the U.S. can expect the new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China and the retaliatory action from those countries to hurt their bottom lines by billions of dollars if they stay in place a while, and consumers could quickly see higher prices for produce and ground beef.
But some of the impact on farmers might not be felt until the next harvest and some products might actually get cheaper in the short run for consumers if exports suffer. And the price of corn, wheat and soybeans accounts for relatively little of the price of most products. Plus, President Donald Trump could offer farmers significant aid payments, as he did during the trade war with China during his first administration, to offset some of the losses.
In his address to Congress Tuesday night, Trump argued that agricultural imports hurt American farmers and asked them to “bear with me again” as he seeks to protect them. He didn’t mention any additional aid.
“I love the farmer,” he said.
If the tariffs make farmers uneasy about investing in expensive tractors and consumers worry so much about groceries that they cut other spending, that would hurt the economy overall and could even lead to a recession. And consumers were already worried about record egg prices amid a bird flu outbreak.
“Exactly how strong our economy is over time has a lot to do with U.S. consumers’ comfort with continuing to go out to restaurants and continuing to buy washers and dryers and just that general activity. And a lot of what we’re talking about here is probably going to slow some of that,” said Glynn Tonsor, an agricultural economist at Kansas State University.
The situation has some farmers stocking up on equipment and supplies in preparation for prices to go up, but it’s not like they can easily buy all their fertilizer ahead of time. And consumers might have a hard time stockpiling perishable products like avocados and ground beef.
The details of how the tariffs are implemented and whether any products are excluded will also matter.
(AP)
(VAN) Analysis shows average levels are 30cm higher than thought, and up to 150cm in south-east Asia and Indo-Pacific.
(VAN) For vegans and people who are allergic to dairy, nuts or gluten, rice is a surprising source to make a hypoallergenic alternative cheese.
(VAN) Regional Conference kicks off as FAO Director-General emphasizes the need for enhanced coordination and support for farmers to bolster progress in food security.
400,000 metric tons of Indian basmati rice are backed up at ports and in transit, and export deals have dried up as freight rates have more than doubled since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.
(VAN) AVEC, the association representing 95% of European poultry production, is calling on EU institutions to apply a precautionary suspension of poultry imports from China following the European Commission audit CT-2025-0037.
(VAN) Researchers from the University of Oxford, Nanjing Agricultural University, and Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology have identified the master regulator in plants that balances root and shoot growth when nutrients are limited.
(VAN) These changes would be 'irreversible over the coming decades and centuries', the researchers say.
