By Ryan Hanrahan
Farmer support for President Donald Trump’s use of tariffs may be decreasing, according to an internet poll released on March 24 by AgWeb. That poll of roughly 3,000 self-identified farmers showed that 54% of respondents said they do not support Trump’s continued use of tariffs as a negotiation tool.
“The poll then followed-up by asking, ‘Do you believe USDA will compensate farmers for losses if agriculture is affected by a trade war?'” AgWeb’s Tyne Morgan reported. “The responses here were much more mixed. 36% responded ‘no,’ 34% said ‘yes,’ and 30% responded they were ‘unsure.'”
“What are farmers saying in the field? Michelle Jones, a fourth-generation farmer in south central Montana was asked the question about if she supports Trump’s use of tariffs on ‘AgriTalk’ last week,” Morgan reported. “‘No, definitely not,’ Jones said. ‘I don’t think that tariffs are an effective negotiation strategy, and I also don’t think that we’re truly being surgical in how we are applying them.’ Jones says there are cases in history where tariffs are effective, but she says in the majority of those cases, the tariffs are extremely targeted and apply to a certain industry or specific country.”
“‘I agree, they were used before the Phase One deal with China, and they were never dealt with under the Biden administration either,’ added April Hemmes, an Iowa farmer, who was also on ‘AgriTalk’ last week,” Morgan reported. “‘Now all we’ve done is piss off our neighbors with this, the Canadians, bringing Canada and Mexico into it. And now all consumers are going to have to pay up, not just the farmers.'”
“However, there are some farmers and those in agriculture who support the president’s heavy use of tariffs. One of those is Bubba Horwitz of Bubba Trading, who focuses on the commodity markets,” Morgan reported. “‘I think it’s a great tool to use,’ Horwitz said on ‘AgriTalk.’ ‘I think you’ve seen it with Canada and Mexico to get things that he wanted to get done. And certainly, you can bargain with those tariffs, you can do whatever you want. I think it’s a great negotiating tool, and it certainly can put pressure because remember one thing, the United States of America could stand alone.”
Ag Secretary Promises Support from Any Tariff Fallout
Politico’s Jordan Wolman reported in late February that “Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins vowed Friday to ‘be in the room’ to protect farmers and rural communities against ‘the immediate hit and repercussion’ of President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs.”
“Rollins, speaking virtually at USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum, recalled that tariffs imposed by Trump during his first term hurt farmers and ultimately led to government bailouts — and said that she foresees a similar response this time around to ease any pain,” Wolman reported. “‘Tariffs are a really important part of [Trump’s] toolkit to really make America great again,’ she said. ‘My hope and commitment is that I will be in the room. But then on the back end, just as the president did with Secretary [Sonny] Perdue … ensuring that we can make whole any immediate pain that is a result of that.'”
Ag Economists Remain Concerned About Long-Term Tariff Effects
Morgan reported in a different article last week that 92% of ag economists surveyed in the Farm Journal Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor survey “think Trump’s strategy of using tariffs as a negotiating tool won’t benefit U.S. agriculture in the long run.”
“‘Food as a weapon doesn’t have a successful track record, see Jimmy Carter and the 1980s,’ responded one economist in the anonymous survey,” Morgan reported. “It’s not a guarantee as it’s like playing Russian roulette; you might ‘win,’ but the risks are huge.”
“‘Farm Journal readers should learn about the long-term consequences of Smoot-Hawley. It wasn’t just about the economic costs — it was also about the relational damage between trading partners. I have a hard time believing we will rebuild these relationships any time in the foreseeable future,’ another economist said,” according to Morgan’s reporting.
Source : illinois.edu