'More expensive': Trump’s economic policies are giving this Upstate NY farmer a rude awakening

18 April

Canada has a long history of being one of the United States' closest allies and a major trading partner, but U.S. President Donald Trump's steep tariffs are creating considerable friction between the two countries. And economists are warning that the tariffs will be a huge expense for homeowners and the real estate industry, as the U.S. gets a lot of building materials from Canada.

American farmers are feeling the pinch as well, including Nicholas Gilbert in Upstate New York.

Gilbert, according to Syracuse.com reporter Geoff Herbert, owns Adon Farms — a dairy farm in Potsdam, New York, which is about 250 miles from Toronto — and has about 1400 cows. The farmer gets his livestock feed from Ontario, Canada to his north, and he was shocked to find out that a recent order of feed cost him $2200 more than he had been paying.

Gibert told The Atlantic, "I'm not even sure it's legal. We contracted for the price on delivery. If your price of fuel goes up or your truck breaks down, that's not my problem. That's what the contract's for."

But Herbert notes that the tariff was, in fact, legal, and that it is Gilbert's "responsibility" to pay the additional cost.

"Tariffs are paid by domestic importers, not foreign exporters, despite Trump's frequent claims otherwise," Herbert reports in a Syracuse.com article published on April 16. "And according to The Atlantic, Adon Farms is doubly stuck with the added cost because the price of the milk Gilbert sells is set by a local co-op and there are no U.S. suppliers nearby. Buying feed somewhere else would be more expensive, he said."

Herbert adds, "It's the latest in a growing number of businesses caught in Trump's trade war. A small packing and shipping business in Washington State announced, last week, it was shutting down because Canadian customers stopped using it due to tariffs and Trump's repeated comments about annexing Canada…. Gilbert said some larger companies may be able to pass costs on to consumers by raising prices. But he can't, and it's only going to get harder with levies on fertilizer or farm equipment."

Read the full Syracuse.com article at this link.

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