'Everybody's gotta eat,' farmers say as they navigate tariff uncertainties

Kendra Seguin · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 06, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: March 6

The Canadian agriculture manufacture is trucking connected arsenic usual, adjacent with a commercialized warfare betwixt Canada and the United States underway.

Several farmers, producers and manufacturers who gathered astatine the London Farm Show astatine the Western Fair District connected Wednesday told CBC News they are assured that their manufacture volition persist, contempt economical threats and uncertainty.

"Everybody's gotta devour 3 times a day, truthful who produces that food? Farmers," said Daniel Cote, a husbandman from Quebec who works for cultivation machinery institution Case IH.

"We ne'er get that affected by thing that goes connected successful the world," said Cote, referencing the COVID-19 pandemic and warfare successful Ukraine. "Farmers get up each greeting and they farm."

U.S. president Donald Trump's 25 per cent tariffs connected virtually each Canadian imports took effect connected Tuesday. Ottawa has responded with counter-tariffs connected an archetypal $30 cardinal worthy of American goods. 

Many farmers who spoke to CBC News said they are taking a "wait and see" attack to the tariffs, with immoderate adding that they deliberation the commercialized warfare volition beryllium resolved sooner than later. 

"I wouldn't accidental we person a program astatine this constituent successful clip due to the fact that you perceive 1 announcement that there's a tariff, and past you perceive there's going to beryllium a pause," said George Drummelsmith, a husbandman from Dutton, Ont. who besides works astatine Pioneer Seeds. 

"I don't deliberation we person a acceptable plan, fixed we don't cognize what's yet going to happen," helium said.

Lou Mason, who has a workplace adjacent Barrie, Ont., agrees: "We person to spell with the flow, instrumentality the highs and the lows, and enactment our mode done it."

Some parts of manufacture much affected than others

While tariffs are not yet changing farming operations, it is simply a taxable of speech successful the industry.

Fertilizer is 1 portion of the agriculture manufacture that could beryllium astir affected by tariffs, according to Moe Agostino, who hosted a speech astir tariffs and farming astatine the London Farm Show. He said Canada sells adjacent to 90 per cent of its potash, which is utilized successful fertilizer, to American farmers. 

"It's truly to bash with exports and whether it lowers the request for exports due to the fact that of the tariffs," Agostino said.

Drummelsmith said that portion Pioneer Seeds should not beryllium majorly impacted by tariffs since astir of their effect is produced successful Canada, the wheat and soybeans their husbandman customers yet turn could be.

"When markets perceive the connection tariff, that brings uncertainty and causes the Chicago Board of Trade to respond negatively similar it has the past mates of days," helium said, adding that the terms of commodities tin emergence and fall. 

"When we're looking astatine the farmer, helium doesn't cognize if he's going to beryllium capable to wage his bills oregon what his margins are going to be, truthful does helium person to past chopped backmost connected his expenses and possibly not rise a harvest that is arsenic bully arsenic it could be?" Drummelsmith said. 

Cote said helium expects the farming instrumentality industry, connected the different hand, to enactment successful bully shape. He said astir companies are gathering their products astatine plants each astir the world, including Case IH, wherever astir 80 per cent of the instrumentality is made extracurricular of the U.S.

Ongoing tariffs could origin ripple effect 

While the agriculture manufacture whitethorn not spot the interaction of tariffs connected their concern now, Drummelsmith said that could alteration successful the aboriginal – and widen to mundane consumers.

"They enactment a tariff connected what's going retired of our state and we reciprocate that, and that ends up costing the user much money," helium said. "Things similar margarine, eggs, beef and Coca-Cola each extremity up going up successful price."

Agostino wants to punctual farmers that the commercialized warfare is not conscionable constricted to the narration betwixt Canada and the U.S.

"It's a planetary marketplace," helium said. "It's not conscionable astir the United States anymore. It's astir what's happening successful Brazil, Russia and China."

Several farmers said that portion they aren't needfully worrying astir tariffs, they inactive anticipation for much stableness successful the future.

"Instability is not bully for business," said Cote. "Nobody truly wants to walk wealth erstwhile you don't cognize what's going to hap tomorrow."