NPR Morning Edition spoke to Chris Gibbs—an Ohio farmer and participant in the Small Businesses Against Tariffs campaign—about the effects of tariffs on his industry:
Gibbs, a first generation farmer in Shelby County, grows corn, soybeans, alfalfa hay and has a few dozen cows.
Farming is a tough industry at the best of times. Farms are at the behest of market fluctuations, domestic policy, international relations and mother nature. Tack on high fuel and fertilizer prices, along with Trump’s tariffs and the cost of production exceeds the profit.
Sitting in his huge combine that used to harvest corn and soybeans, Gibbs said the diesel fuel to run the machinery has increased 50% under the Trump administration and the war in Iran. He fills up the combine about seven times during the harvest season.