Dear Editor,
Farmers cope with a lot of unpredictability. They do not need to be second-guessing their relations to government. President Trump and Elon Musk have broken faith with farmers, sowing chaos, through their actions that include:
The threat of tariffs on Canadian goods has heightened uncertainty concerning the future of the $200 million in agricultural trade between the two countries (https://www.greatamericancrop.com/news-resources/article/2025/02/25/tariff-threat-looms-over-us-canada-ag).
A case in point, if planned tariffs on Canadian potash go ahead, the increased costs of fertilizer will severely cut into U.S. farmers’ profits (https://www.wglt.org/2025-02-26/tariffs-fertilizer-farm-costs-potash).
Musk’s termination of USAID means the loss of billions of dollars to American farmers who, up to now, could reliably sell their crops to that agency’s “Food for Peace Program” (https://moneywise.com/news/economy/these-kansas-farmers-now-face-serious-financial-trouble-after-the-trump-administrations-decision-to-freeze-usaid).
USAID funding for agricultural research conducted at various land grant universities vanished overnight. The affected studies include efforts to increase crop yields and improve soybean cultivation methods. These USAID-funded programs directly benefitted American farmers (https://www.iowapublicradio.org/harvest-public-media/2025-02-13/usaid-funding-freeze-halts-research).
China’s imposition of tariffs in response to the Trump administration’s trade war threatens the viability of American companies that exported 800 million dollars’ worth of agricultural equipment to that country in 2020 alone (https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/china-targets-us-farm-equipment-tariffs-Deere-CNH-AEM/739312/).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has broken contracts with farmers who made improvements to their land under arrangements that guaranteed their reimbursement for expenses they incurred. Farmers are now left holding the bag, carrying costs they cannot recoup because they trusted the Trump administration to honor government contracts (https://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/trump-denies-over-2-billion-in-payments-owed-to-30000-farmers/#:~:text=Withholding%20IRA%20funds%20means%20breaking,likely%20still%20in%20USDA’s%20coffers, https://thepreamble.com/p/government-backs-out-of-money-for.)
The Trump administration released water from federally controlled reservoirs in northern California to fight fires in the southern part of the state. That water did not help fire-fighting efforts. Farmers who had counted on it to irrigate their fields during the summer, however, now find themselves facing an uncertain future (https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-02-03/trump-administration-dams-release-water).
The threat of tariffs with China, Mexico, and Canada, even if not carried through, signal to buyers of American crops that we are an unreliable trade partner. This is a catastrophic message to send to those countries who buy half our crops and will likely look now for other suppliers.
Every action has consequences. President Trump has the right to pursue his agenda. He and Mr. Musk have an obligation to ensure that, in doing so, they are not bankrupting those who produce our food. Farming is difficult enough without our government placing undue burdens on this pillar of our economy.
Ed Schortman
Granville, Ohio