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Reciprocal tariff uncertainty lingers

The president and CEO of the National Grain and Feed Association says it’s unclear what will happen in agriculture when reciprocal trade tariffs take effect next Wednesday.

“We really need to see what the details are on April 2.”

Mike Seyfert tells Brownfield additional tariffs could impact feed ingredients.

“What that might mean for increased costs for both feed manufacturers and livestock/poultry producers is something we’ll be watching.”

Seyfert says it’s no surprise President Trump is using tariffs as leverage in markets where the U.S. has been mistreated.

“We’ve had trade concerns with China on different issues, concerns with rail in Mexico and we’ve had issues in the European Union. We think there are opportunities to get wins and additional market access for U.S. commodities.”

The White House says the list of countries for reciprocal tariffs are narrower than originally planned, but that list hasn’t been made public.

So far, President Trump has placed new 20% tariffs on Chinese imports and restored 25% tariffs on global steel and aluminum imports. U.S. ag products in compliance with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement are currently exempt from a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico.