KDSN RADIO News
Iowa ag activist says Trump tariff policy is chaotic for farmers
As the U.S. Supreme Court weighs the legality of President Trump’s tariffs, several farm groups say the administration’s trade policy will have harmful, long-lasting effects. Aaron Lehman is a farmer and the president of the Iowa Farmers Union.
“This chaotic tariff policy is not getting us any closer to fair trade,” Lehman says. “We are no closer to stopping product dumping, manipulative monetary policies, uneven labor and environmental standards, and unfair labeling restrictions.”
Last April, Trump declared a national emergency posed by trade deficits and announced taxes on imports from nearly every U.S. trading partner. Small businesses and a dozen states sued, and the case is being reviewed by the highest court. Lehman says the bigger issue is Trump’s overall approach to trade policy.
He says, “It’s wrong to use tariffs like we’re trying to change a lightbulb with a hammer.”
Lehman says the damage to trade partners and uncertainty makes it difficult to plan for the 2026 growing season, especially as production costs continue to outpace prices for corn and soybeans.
“Farmers already have few choices in the marketplace,” Lehman says, “and a chaotic trade policy makes a bad situation even worse.”
He says the administration’s approach undermines decades of investments by farmers to build relationships with buyers overseas, many of whom may switch to suppliers in other countries.
Lehman spoke during a press call organized by the group Tariffs Cost US.
(By Rachel Cramer, Iowa Public Radio)
.png)
