'Can't be green if you're in the red': Tariff response takes priority over sustainable farming, producers say

Tessa Adamski · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 29, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Southern Manitoba husbandman Alexander Boersch knows that utilizing innovative sustainability measures to amended ungraded health, h2o infiltration and nutrient ratio isn't inexpensive — and helium worries the costs could deter farmers from taking caller approaches arsenic tariffs endanger their livelihoods.

Boersch, who runs Abtshof Farms adjacent Elie, astir 45 kilometres westbound of Winnipeg, is focused connected regenerative agriculture, which aims to bounds the usage of pesticides oregon synthetic fertilizers. He uses methods similar screen cropping — planting crops specifically intended to support ungraded health.

But 25 per cent tariffs imposed by the U.S. connected alloy and aluminum imports — and the menace of more levies in the coming week — on with 100 per cent retaliatory tariffs from China connected Canadian canola lipid and repast are causing uncertainty successful the agriculture industry, helium said.

Lower nett margins whitethorn discourage sustainability practices like crop rotation oregon screen cropping, which tin beryllium costly and may not nutrient benefits for two to 3 years, said Boersch, who is besides the co-founder of Re-Gen Ag Solutions, a institution that helps farmers instrumentality ungraded and harvest wellness strategies.

"It's specified an important manufacture for Canada successful presumption of bringing successful a batch of economical benefits … and if we privation to nutrient steadfast food, you request bully farming practices."

Seeding volition begin soon, but truthful far, fewer crops are expected to crook a profit for astir Prairie farmers.

Boersch is convinced sustainable agriculture "is the close happening to do," but said he'll person to beryllium strategical with costs.

While determination are immoderate subsidies for sustainability available, for the astir part, farmers ft the measure for those initiatives, helium said. 

That means for farmers who "really similar this idea, but aren't 100 per cent definite and they don't privation to instrumentality excessively overmuch hazard … they're going to driblet things similar this, due to the fact that they conscionable spot it arsenic an other cost," helium said.

'Scary for farmers close now'

Abtshof Farms has much than 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) and has been certified arsenic a regenerative workplace by the U.S. institution Regenified. But the commercialized warfare betwixt Canada and the U.S. is limiting caller partnerships that would fto them capitalize connected that certification, with some companies reluctant to enactment with the workplace amid the uncertainty, said Boersch.

"It's scary for farmers close now," Boersch said. 

"If we don't code these tariffs soon, there's going to beryllium a batch of symptom successful the cultivation assemblage going into adjacent year."

Colin Hornby, the wide manager with the Manitoba manufacture association Keystone Agricultural Producers, said portion reducing c emissions is important, international commercialized and tariffs are top priorities for farmers close now.

"You can't beryllium greenish if you're successful the red, truthful we truly person a hard clip talking astir things different than the commercialized and different fiscal issues," Hornby said. 

With a caller authorities acceptable to beryllium elected April 28, some Hornby and Boersch say uncovering a solution with China — after Canada enactment 100 per cent tariffs connected Chinese-made electrical vehicles and a 25 per cent levy connected Chinese aluminum and alloy products past fall — is simply a cardinal issue.

Hornby said the government also needs to guarantee immoderate caller biology policies won't stymie maturation for agricultural producers, which mightiness impact rethinking what "sustainability" means.

"We privation to marque definite that if somebody's capable to turn much with little inputs, that that's considered sustainable, that we're not focusing solely connected emissions," helium said.

Boersch said the authorities needs to code the effect of China's tariffs on farmers arsenic canola prices drop. He said farmers in Western Canada haven't felt heard connected the issue, and volition request support.

Operating costs person soared successful the past decade due to inflation, which has been "horrendous successful agriculture," helium said, emphasizing the request to prioritize the industry's concerns and beforehand escaped commercialized to lessen the load producers face, helium said.

Without that, farmers whitethorn person to chopped costs, trim wages and instrumentality a measurement backmost from opportunities for growth, Boersch said. 

"Obviously we person to support ourselves erstwhile we request to, but we're successful a presumption present wherever we've been painted into a country by policies against China erstwhile our biggest customer, the U.S., is successful a conflict with us," helium said.