He sells all his grain in the U.S. Now, tariff threats have this Manitoba farmer 'racing against time'

Anis Heydari · CBC News

· Posted: Feb 27, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: February 27

The ever-changing tariff threats from the Trump medication person caused immoderate businesses to commencement shipping their products to the U.S. earlier than normal to lock successful pricing. 

That includes atom husbandman Landon Friesen, co-owner of Southman Ag Ventures. His facilities are based conscionable extracurricular of Crystal City, a tiny Manitoba assemblage little than 200 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.

As his workplace is lone astir an hour's thrust from an cultivation terminal successful Langdon, N.D., Friesen has regularly sold grains specified arsenic wheat straight to U.S. customers.

Typically, wheat harvested successful the autumn would beryllium held successful Canadian silos for months, and transported implicit astir of the wintertime to the U.S.

Not this year. Friesen says enactment that would usually beryllium dispersed out "over rather a fewer months" is present being done successful 2 months. 

"It's been a engaged play of conscionable pushing hard to get arsenic overmuch crossed arsenic we tin earlier the imaginable tariff. We don't cognize if he'll [Donald Trump] widen it again oregon if this is going to beryllium it," helium said.

WATCH | Hauling atom successful a hurry:

At 1 constituent recently, helium was making the travel crossed the borderline 3 times a day.

Friesen and industry groups say the projected tariffs would apt little the terms Americans are consenting oregon capable to wage for Canadian cultivation products. 

Friesen expects a 25 per cent tariff would instrumentality astatine slightest arsenic much off the terms helium gets for his grains. By moving it crossed the borderline now, helium avoids risking that loss.

"Our bottommost enactment isn't large capable to sorb that," helium said, pointing retired that his full wheat harvest this twelvemonth is going to North Dakota. He's got 230 loads to transport, and CBC News rode on with him and No. 228.

That compares to the same time successful 2024, erstwhile Friesen says he'd lone taken 15 to 20 per cent of his wheat crossed the border. 

"The atom won't spell bad, but our markets are going to adjacent down, oregon the tariff volition wounded the markets. And that's what we're racing against time," helium said.

It's unclear however overmuch atom is crossing the borderline earlier than accustomed this year. In 2023, Canada exported much than $1 cardinal of wheat to the U.S.

CHS, the terminal relation successful Langdon, says it's monitoring the looming tariffs intimately and volition enactment to guarantee entree to planetary commercialized routes for American farmers.

"The concern is fluid, and we're focused connected continuing to champion service our customers," a institution typical wrote successful an email.

Tariffs could little prices farmers tin get

Lower prices for Canadian atom would beryllium expected successful the lawsuit of tariffs, according to J.P. Gervais, main economist astatine Farm Credit Canada.

While initially, tariffs would origin U.S. buyers to look a higher terms for Canadian grain, Gervais says they would beryllium little apt to privation to wage that.

"The markets are going to propulsion backmost connected the higher terms successful the U.S. The apt effect would beryllium a little terms connected this broadside of the borderline for the Canadian seller," helium said.

Gervais says it's precise hard to foretell what's to travel for Canadian farmers, however, due to the fact that different countries travel into play.

In particular, commercialized betwixt China and some the U.S. and Canada volition interaction the prices that Canadian farmers tin request connected planetary markets due to the fact that China is simply a "huge player" successful commodities.

He says Canadian farmers volition not conscionable beryllium capable to alteration who they merchantability to and wherever without incurring costs.

"The information is that diversification and each of the impacts are going to rise costs of doing businesses for Canadian businesses, and that's going to person an interaction for Canadian consumers," helium said. 

Friesen says, contempt the other enactment his squad is putting in, he understands and respects U.S. governmental decisions.

"I mean, these are our neighbours to the south. We've done beingness with them, right? We don't person a large borderline wall. There's ever been a batch of respect for each other," helium said.

He besides said helium knows tariffs could wounded manufacture successful Canada, on with expanding costs for consumers too. But arsenic idiosyncratic who has lived adjacent the U.S. border for years, helium hopes for an amicable solution. 

"We each request to get along. We can't prime up and move."