By announcing new tariffs under section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, President Donald Trump is hoping to defy the Supreme Court — and in the process, farmers’ advocates claim, hurting American agriculture.
By increasing the broad tariff rate to 15 percent, important American trading partners like China are shifting their agricultural purchases to other countries, significantly limiting their markets even as Trump’s other tariffs increase their prices on equipment, fertilizer and other imports. The 2025 deficit of $41.5 billion was significantly higher than in the previous five years, reported Civil Eats.
"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. “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.”
By contrast, Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins doubled down on Trump’s tariffs, saying “we are not backing down—not even for a second.” Rollins openly defied the Supreme Court, which struck down Trump’s across-the-board 10 percent tariff and higher reciprocal tariffs on individual companies. If Trump follows the court’s decision, he will need to reimburse millions if not billions to businesses and consumers for the illegal tariffs.
Last week Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker argued Trump owes a $1,700 refund for the tariffs to every citizen of his state, claiming among other things that they “wreaked havoc on farmers, enraged our allies, and sent grocery prices through the roof.” The potential presidential candidate was not alone in venting his outrage.
“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,” Colin Woodall, head of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said in a statement. Deb Fischer, a Republican senator from Nebraska, similarly declared that Trump’s trade deal will “sideline” American cattle ranchers.
Earlier this month, The Hill reported that "bipartisan farming advocates" and "former leaders in the industry" had warned the House and Senate that Trump’s tariffs are hitting farming communities so hard, they risk “collapse.” The groups argued that Congress had to act against Trump’s tariffs “if we are to avoid a widespread collapse of American agriculture and our rural communities.” Experts agree that Trump’s tariffs add strain to farmers’ economic lives when they are already in "a downturn cycle," exacerbating the existing negative tendencies regarding "costs of production and weak crop prices."
The Hill added that the names on the letter included a "bipartisan group of leaders including staffers under former Republican administrations, past heads of agriculture organizations, experts in the field and farmers."
"[I]t is clear that the current administration’s actions, along with congressional inaction, have increased costs for farm inputs, disrupted overseas and domestic markets, denied agriculture its reliable labor pool, and defunded critical ag research and staffing," the letter argued.