Dairy farmers in our region are staring down potentially tens of thousands of dollars in higher costs as they learn the impact of President Trump’s tariffs.
Dairy farmers in northern New York say they’re worried about what could be a perfect storm this spring — a potential drop in milk prices combined with the threat of tariffs on Canada.
At Hidden vView Farms in Champlain, owner Dale Tetrault says it’s things like Canadian feed and fertilizer that have helped their operation grow. “They have counted on us for years and years to sell their product to and it’s been a perfect marriage,” he said.
It’s a business union Tetrault says could be upended by tariffs. He says a 10 percent tariff could mean $300 more per day for grain feed and an increase of roughly $20,000 a year for fertilizer. “Several grain companies are looking to bring in some corn and possibly soybean down south and truck it from the United States up. That is the conversation right now,” Tetrault said. He says they have a little bit of time until their next purchase in June. “Things could change for the better or in between that time, so we are just going to keep watching the markets and praying.”
And while Tetrault says tariffs could make things harder on the farm, he also says he would like to see some changes in how dairy farmers do business in Canada. “Right now with the current tariffs they have on us, it is impossible to sell a product at any profit into Canada,” he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says they plan to hold new trade talks with the U.S. after the country’s federal elections on April 28.
The Trump administration has said the tariffs on Canada are, in part, retaliation for the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., which is less than one percent of all illegal seizures so far this year, according to Customs and Border Protection.
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