Before Trump’s tariffs took effect, we warned they’d hit farmers right here in North Carolina the hardest. Now, with trade wars raging and markets drying up, those predictions have come true — and we are paying the price.

Tariffs Gut Rural America

North Carolina soybean farmers say they’re “feeling the tariffs’ bite” as prices tank and China — once the buyer of more than 25% of all U.S. soybeans — walks away. One Wilson County farmer told Spectrum News, “We’ve got a good crop, but the price is in the tank… Without the Chinese buying, we’re losing a big customer.”

This isn’t just bad luck — it’s bad policy. Michael Whatley has cheered on these tariffs, calling them “record-setting” and “effective,” even as they drive up costs and squeeze farm budgets. Meanwhile, equipment, seed, and fertilizer prices are rising, loans are harder to pay off, and family farms are barely hanging on.

Farmers don’t want political stunts — they want stable markets and leadership that actually has their backs. Instead, Trump’s trade war has handed their business to South America and left American soybeans sitting in silos.

Rural America deserves better than being collateral damage in another Trump ego trip. Our farmers feed this country — they shouldn’t be paying the price for one man’s trade tantrum.

For every dollar invested in farm-to-school purchasing, North Carolina studies suggest

$.60-$2.16

of additional local economic activity

The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS) in North Carolina was expected to provide nearly

$19 million

in federal funding for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The program was cancelled, meaning those funds will not be accessible.

Annual agricultural export revenue losses from retaliatory tariffs (e.g., other countries responding to U.S. tariffs) are estimated at

$13.2 billion