MISSOULA — On Thursday at the University of Montana, agriculture industry professionals, farmers, and economists gathered to talk about the impending tariffs that the Trump administration is currently negotiating.
“That's really the viability of those farm communities is having those export markets. Peas and lentils, finding their ways, a growing market in Montana, finding its way across the world, to India and other places,” said Eric Belasco, department head for the MSU Department of Agriculture Economics and Economics.
The panel discussion, hosted by Farmers For Free Trade and the Montana World Trade Center, was guided by the current and future impacts of President Trump’s tariffs.
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For hop farmer Tom Britz, CEO of Glacier Hops Ranch, he has already seen disruption to his trade with a buyer in China.
“We were getting ready to finalize everything. All the invoices were done. All the purchase agreements were done. And then we had this blow-up with China. Killed the deal. Immediately killed the deal,” said Britz.
Steve Sheffels, vice president of the Montana Grain Growers Association, says that another impact already being felt is with their partners overseas, which as of so far he says, has kept Montana wheat able to compete on the world market along with help from Montana’s consistent production of wheat.
“That close relationship has happened over years and years and years. And if you bought the cheapest market, cheapest wheat on the market, you would not be buying a Montana wheat. So that quality is important to them. And we've helped teach them why it's important and been a very reliable source of supply. So I really hope that we don't hurt that reliable source of supply part of things because that relationship is worth millions and millions of dollars to Montana farmers,” said Sheffels.
All of the three farmers touched on how there is not only immediate disruption, but also uncertainty because of the changing deadlines
“You can just imagine it in your own life if your landlord came to you and said, oh, the rent's changing next month. You'd been planning on that rent being a certain amount and it's not going to be that amount anymore going forward. It's that's kind of just part of it. Can you afford to live where you're going to live?” said Sheffels.
Not all of the proposed tariffs have been implemented yet with the Trump administration stating that it's still negotiating different trade deals with various countries. Although there is currently an August 1st deadline set by President Trump.
