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Tariff risks to agriculture aired during Senate hearing

Top farm group officials say the threat of potential tariffs is already impacting the ag industry.

National Farmers Union President Rob Larew says, “We’re hearing out there about suppliers of fertilizer and other goods who are already adding costs onto goods that we’re buying.”

“We’re hearing about some places that are not selling for delivery products beyond a certain date because of the threat.”

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall says farmers want open markets, not payments from potential relief programs.

“It could be devastating to agriculture if we’re not paying attention to what happens,” he says.

“I’m here to represent agriculture, but we’re here representing rural communities in the consumer of our products, which is the American people, and it’s going to affect the availability of it, it’s going to affect the cost of it, and it’s going to affect the way we can do business at home.”

Larew says government funding freezes has added to the economic certainty.

“No one knows what funding will be available or if key programs will have the staff needed to operate,” he says.

“Freezing spending and making sweeping decisions without congressional oversight adds more uncertainty to an already tough farm economy.”

Agriculture leaders testified on the state of farm economy, labor needs, and recent decisions by the Trump administration during a Senate Ag Committee hearing Thursday.