Trade War Puts Local Farmers On Edge
Published: Friday, April 11, 2025
A northern Indiana farmer seems to reflect the concerns and uncertainty felt in the agriculture industry nationwide about the potential negative consequences from tariffs and whether good will come out of it in the long run as promised by the president.
"I think everybody is pretty nervous in the farming community because nobody knows for sure what's going to happen. We're kind of in unchartered waters here," said Mark Parkman, President of the La Porte County branch of Indiana Farm Bureau.
Parkman raises corn, soybeans, wheat and hay along with beef cattle on his farm near Westville.
He hopes the trade war triggered by the tariffs on foreign goods followed by retaliatory tariffs from other counties on U.S.—made goods is just for the short term.
If not, Parkman said he worries about the ability of some farmers to survive financially long term if tariffs drive up the cost of operating expenses and result in lower prices on U.S. farm commodities from reduced foreign demand.
He said China is typically a major buyer of U.S. farm products like soybeans but that may no longer be the case in a retaliation from China to the global tariffs imposed by President Trump.
Instead, he said China could switch to Brazil as a major soybean supplier, leaving a U.S. soybean surplus and falling prices unless some other use emerged for domestic soybeans.
He has similar fears about a retaliation from Mexico, a major buyer of U.S. corn, from tariffs imposed on products like automobiles made south of the border.
Parkman said he's also concerned about tariffs driving up input costs on products like fertilizer from countries such as Russia where much of the nutrients and pest controlling chemicals applied on fields in the U.S. are produced.
"It could be a double whammy for farmers," he said.
Currently, the U.S. agriculture economy isn't in the greatest of shape with many farmers hoping to make just minimal profits or break even this year.
Parkman said he trusts farmers put enough money aside from previous more profitable years to get by during a tariff related financial storm.
He said farmers without adequate resources to fall back on could go out of business if the potential negative impact is great and the tariffs remain in place for an extended period.
He also workers how many farmers, if not forced out of business, will choose to continue on if profit margins from the tariffs are squeezed to where growing food becomes no longer worth the effort.
Parkman pointed to some of the small—and—medium sized dairy farms choosing other ways to make a living during economic struggles for milk producers over the years as an example of what he fears could happen from the tariffs.
"We have fewer and fewer farmers every year. That's part of the reason why," he said.
Parkman is also hoping the budding trade war doesn't lead to a global recession, which he believes would add to the difficulties the tariffs could bring for agriculture and every member of the American public.
"Hopefully, farmers have positioned themselves to be able to withstand a bad year or two but it's tough to do. I don't care what business you're in," he said.
Parkman added he understands the president's reason for issuing the tariffs and hopes his decision works to eliminate unfair trade from other countries and return manufacturing jobs to the U.S.
The president has asked Americans to trust in his decision and hang tough for a while, believing the tariffs will help reintroduce a Golden Age of prosperity for the country.
Parkman said he supports the president's vision but hopes the tariffs don't come at too high of a cost to farmers.
"It could be bad for a while but let's hope not. Let's hope these tariffs do what they want and things get back to normal quickly," he said.
Return to Top of Page