By Olivia Herken for the Wisconsin Independent.
Broadcast version by Judith Ruiz-Branch for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for the Wisconsin Independent-Public News Service Collaboration

On his farm in Maribel, a small town in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin farmer Michael Slattery grows cash crops such as corn, soybeans and canning vegetables, along with hosting a fleet of honeybees and about 50 fruit trees.

He’s run his farm for about 25 years, and he sells his crops to canning companies, corporations and farming cooperatives to make a living. But in 2018, when President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on goods imported from China, it cost him. 

Trump’s tariffs prompted the Chinese government to place retaliatory tariffs on American agricultural products. Slattery told the Wisconsin Independent he lost 60% of his revenue from soybean sales because China was one of the biggest importers of U.S. soybeans at the time. Farmers were left with a surplus of product with nowhere to go, Slattery said, adding that it’s not easy for them to quickly pivot to new buyers because it takes years or decades to develop trade relationships.

“We can’t turn around and just go simply someplace else,” he said.

Now, just a few weeks into his second term, Trump again plans to impose tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico — the United States’ largest trade partners. This could hurt Wisconsin farmers again, Slattery and experts say, as well as raise prices for consumers and have negative ripple effects on other businesses and industries in Wisconsin.

Trump announced on Feb. 1 that he would impose 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada and 10% on imports from China. Initially, both Canada and Mexico responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Canadians not to buy American-made products, but later Trump claimed he won concessions from the leaders and announced he had agreed to pause the tariffs for 30 days. Trump’s tariffs on imports from China went into effect on Feb. 4, and the Chinese government imposed 15% counter tariffs on U.S. goods that morning.

Tariffs are taxes one country imposes on goods imported from another country. Trump issued tariffs in his first term with the promise of increasing the number of factory jobs in the United States, which he didn’t do. This time, his tariffs on goods from the country’s largest trading partners are, he claims, part of his efforts to curb immigration and the importation of drugs into the United States.

The potential imposition of tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China, and the trade war with all three that could ensue, could have significant effects on Wisconsinites’ wallets, according to University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire economics professor Thomas Kemp.

“If all three of those were to be implemented, Wisconsin consumers would see a pretty substantial increase in costs in general, because those are our three largest trading partners as a state, and as a nation,” Kemp said.

Prices could be raised for groceries, fuel, cars, machinery, appliances, electronics, toys and clothing. Specifically, the U.S. imports a lot of fruit and vegetables from Mexico; lumber, oil and vehicles from Canada; and machinery and computer equipment from China.

Kemp said that often when tariffs affect the prices of consumer goods, there are sometimes cheaper substitutions to be found at the store. But because these tariffs will be placed on goods imported from America’s three main trade partners, and some of them are simply not produced domestically, it will be impossible for consumers to avoid some imported goods, Wisconsinites’ access to a range of products could be limited.

“There’s a reason why we trade, and there’s a reason why we specialize, and that allows us to consume a variety of goods and services. It’s unlikely that we’re going to produce mangoes in Wisconsin, because it’s just too cold. It’s unlikely they’re going to produce soybeans in the south of China because it’s just too hot and wet,” he said.

Retaliatory tariffs on American exported goods such as the ones China implemented and the leaders of Mexico and Canada have threatened, are also likely to hurt Wisconsin businesses and workers, especially those who rely on specific markets.

Producing more in the U.S. isn’t as desirable as people might think, Kemp said. Since manufacturing and agriculture have gotten more efficient and productive with fewer workers, producing more domestically wouldn’t necessarily result in many additional jobs. Kemp also noted that some specialized jobs are dependent on trade relationships.

“I don’t know if we think of things like the very specialized machinist in Wisconsin only can exist because of the very generalist manufacturing plant in China,” Kemp said.

Kemp said Trump’s promise that tariffs will shore up production and jobs in America is unlikely to be fulfilled immediately.

“The simple reason why it’s unlikely to happen in the short term is you just don’t start up an automobile factory overnight,” Kemp said. “You’re talking years, almost certainly, and perhaps even decades, before you start to see those effects.”

Many businesses, from mom-and-pop shops to big corporations, rely on equipment that comes from overseas, Kemp said, meaning their production and supply chains could be slowed by Trump’s tariffs.

In Wisconsin, many farmers use fertilizer and equipment, such as tractors, that are imported from other countries, Slattery said.

“This adversely affects us as farmers,” he said. “It affects us as both the lack of markets for us to sell our produce into, our products into, as well as increases our cost of doing business.”

All of this, he said, could lead to more small and mid-sized farms across Wisconsin being squeezed out by larger farms at a time when they’re already shuttering at rapid rates.

“We’re in a bad position,” Slattery said.


Olivia Herken wrote this article for the Wisconsin Independent.


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Members of a Texas House committee this week will consider a bill that would limit the number of permits farmers must have to participate at farmers markets.

Currently in Texas, growers must have a permit from both the state health department and their local jurisdiction. House Bill 5459 would make it so they only need one permit.

Judith McGeary, executive director of the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, said extra permits add expenses that cut into farmers' profits.

"And it's particularly damaging when you think about smaller markets, especially those in food deserts where people have less access to healthy food," she said, "because the reality is, when farmers markets set up, odds are those farmers are making even less money."

McGeary said the bill would expand opportunities for farmers and increase access to healthy food across Texas.

Several other bills designed to help small growers are being considered by state lawmakers. One bill would allow farmers to sell ungraded eggs to restaurants and retailers. Another bill being considered is called the "cottage food law," which allows Texans to make foods in their home kitchens and make up to $50,000 annually by selling it.

McGeary said everyone benefits if these bills are passed.

"It is valuable to the entire community to make it easier for our farmers to grow and get healthy food to the consumers," she said.

The legislative session ends on June 2. McGeary encouraged anyone interested in these bills to reach out to their legislators.


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Frozen federal grants have thrown a South Florida farm training program into chaos, leaving a nonprofit scrambling to salvage it after sudden funding cuts and delayed payments.

The nonprofit Urban Oasis Project's $2.5 million federal grant was abruptly frozen in January, then partially restored months later, after a federal judge ordered the immediate release of climate and infrastructure funds.

Art Friedrich, executive director of the project, explained the grant was to reimburse the project for money already spent but said now, with the government as an unreliable partner, there is a lot of uncertainty.

"Basically by mid-February, they owed us $36,000, and we had no idea if we would ever get paid through them or not," Friedrich recounted. "We had to furlough the co-directors of the project and just put everything on pause. We've been doing a little bit to maintain readiness in case we did get access to the funding."

Friedrich added he learned just this week the grant to purchase farmland for training disadvantaged farmers is now unfrozen. His organization continues its mission to support local food systems. Urban Oasis pioneered a program to double SNAP benefits spent at farmers markets, a model later adopted nationwide.

In addition to trying to rehire staff, who have had to find other jobs, Friedrich pointed out land prices have doubled since the grant was written and the delays have forced Urban Oasis to reassess everything going forward.

"Trying to switch everything to requesting advances," Friedrich outlined. "We're really looking at how we can modify the program to be maximally effective and probably just not do the land purchase, but try to find someone whose land we can use and operate on."

As some funds trickle back, Friedrich is advocating not just for his program but for other farmers still in limbo. He sees it as unfair for the government to "cherry-pick" programs, and thinks it is important to honor its contracts.

Friedrich's grant was part of the Inflation Reduction Act farm-access program. It is among hundreds frozen nationwide, including some from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.


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Mississippi State University Extension launched its annual soybean variety trials last week. It is a way to evaluate crop performance as farmers confront their toughest market conditions in five years.

The 15-year-old program tests maturity groups and herbicide technologies across close to three dozen farms statewide, beginning in Bolivar and Sharkey counties. The trials begin as lingering trade tensions and low commodity prices squeeze growers.

Justin Calhoun, soybean specialist for the Extension Service, said he is advising farmers to conserve resources.

"We're in survival mode," Calhoun explained. "Cut back in every way we can. Try to make sure we're sustaining our yield potential but cut back on the extra unnecessary expenses. Just to try to make it through the next year. And hopefully we have a better market situation going into the '26 season than we do the '25 season."

Mississippi is still the nation's fifth-largest soybean producer, planting more than 2 million acres annually, despite a slight dip this year. Growers face compounding crises, from China's reduced U.S. soybean purchases and the ongoing effects of the Trump tariffs, to the spring floods excluded from federal aid programs.

Calhoun is in his first year leading the program. He assured despite market challenges, the trials will provide critical data for farmers making planting decisions.

"For the most part, we're down in acres but we're still going to be a heavy soybean state," Calhoun emphasized. "It is the number one row crop commodity in the state and it's going to continue to be that by a long shot. But it has our growers asking questions about what inputs can we cut back on."

The soybean trials will continue through the growing season and the results will shape recommendations for 2026, as farmers hope for market recovery. Mississippi's soybean industry contributes nearly $1 billion annually to the state's economy.


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