Trump is crushing California farmers as $1.7 million shipment is diverted by war

President Donald Trump’s war in Iran is hurting farm workers who are already vulnerable because of his tariffs — and a new report sketches out the details with vivid portraits of those suffering because of MAGA politics.

“The vice president of operations at Sequoia Nut Co. had shipped 15 containers of almonds, walnuts and pistachios from the Port of Long Beach, and he wasn’t exactly sure where they were on the high seas,” wrote the Los Angeles Times’ Laurence Darmiento. “Their destination was Dubai’s Port of Jebel Ali, a major trading hub, but the jets, missiles and rockets crisscrossing Middle Eastern skies had diverted one ship to the Netherlands and another to Algeria.”

He added, “Finally, the remainder of the 300 tons of California nuts worth $1.7 million was offloaded at the Port of Fujairah, also in the United Arab Emirates but on the Gulf of Oman, a bit farther from the fighting. Now, shipping costs to the region have tripled to $7,500 per container, and Hundal is uncertain when the Tulare County company will get its money.”

The Times reported that California's agricultural sector is struggling to adapt to the Iran war because it simultaneously cut off key Middle Eastern export markets and drove up the cost of essential farm inputs such as fertilizer and diesel fuel, which now averages $7.26 per gallon in California.

"This is different than anything we've experienced before, in that it is not occurring in a single market, and that it is something that is a critical input to growers around the world,” Darmiento quoted Veronica Nigh of the Fertilizer Institute.

American Farm Bureau economist Faith Parum offered an even bleaker analysis.

"How do we make sure that we keep farmers in business?” Parum asked. “Because it is a matter of national security and food security."

Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom, bluntly stated that the state’s farmers are suffering because of Trump’s Iran war.

“California farmers are getting hit twice with higher fertilizer costs and higher fuel costs,” Gallegos said. “Every American will wind up paying for that at the grocery store because these commodities are priced globally.”

Darmiento reported, “Parum noted that farmers who plant crops such as corn, soy, rice and cotton have experienced nationwide losses of $90 billion since 2023. Key ingredients for some fertilizers come from the oil-and-gas-rich Middle East, where the war has unsettled markets and supply chains.”

He added, “Already there are reports that some fertilizers are up by a third or more in price. The rise is taking place in California and across the U.S. even though the country produces the majority of its nitrogen-based fertilizers, which are critical to improving crop yields.”

The Times is not the first outlet to report a link between the Iran war and increased suffering for agricultural workers. Earlier in March MS NOW anchor Katy Tur pointed out that when it comes to the war in Iran, the problem for farmer is “not just gas. The price of fertilizer is also climbing amid the US war with Iran, driving up costs for American farmers just before spring planting season, when fertilizer is needed most.” According to one farmer interviewed by Georgia News Channel 11Alive, “There's been some predictions that fertilizer will go up another $100 a ton on top of losing money as it is. It's really sad that that the farming has got to the point where we're losing money to even to even be doing it. And, and then with things going on like it is, there's so much uncertainty.”

Farmers have also been devastated by Trump’s tariffs, which have impacted farmers’ goods more than many other American industries.

"We call on Congress to exercise its oversight role to ensure trade policy supports — not undermines — America’s family farmers and ranchers,” National Farmers Union president Rob Larew declared in a statement about the tariffs, which the Supreme Court ruled were collected illegally and should be reimbursed. “Over the past year, tariffs have raised input costs, disrupted export markets and triggered retaliation against U.S. agricultural goods. In an already fragile farm economy, uncertainty has hit family operations hardest.”

Colin Woodall, head of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, similarly stated that “the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and its members cannot stand behind the president while he undercuts the future of family farmers and ranchers by importing Argentinian beef in an attempt to influence prices.”