Michigan farmers are struggling with rising costs and stagnant crop prices as tariffs increase the expense of essential farming supplies, according to local producers and agricultural experts.
- Michigan farmers face rising costs from tariffs on fertilizer and equipment, while crop prices have remained stagnant for three years
- Local producers say few farmers are buying fertilizer this fall because tariff-driven price increases make it extremely expensive
- Trump administration's $12 billion farm aid package won't be enough to offset lower prices and reduced yields, farmers say
WATCH: Michigan farmers struggle with tariff-driven cost increases
Robert Reese, a fourth-generation farmer in DeWitt Township who produces corn, soybeans, beef and more, said current conditions represent a challenging period in agriculture.
"All of our costs are up. And what we are selling, the prices have been stagnant for the last three years. In the last three years, we have been below the cost of production," Reese said.
Tariffs are hitting farmers particularly hard through increased input costs, especially for fertilizer imported from other countries.
"Talking to a lot of neighbors here, that nobody has bought any fertilizer this fall just because it is extremely expensive," Reese said.
A state Senate committee heard testimony on Wednesday from agricultural experts about the impacts of tariffs on Michigan farms. David Ortega, MSU Noel W. Stuckman Chair in Food Economics & Policy, explained how international trade policies affect local food production.
"Our farmers and producers rely on imported machinery, fertilizer, animal feed, and other critical inputs from abroad. When tariffs raise the cost of those items, it becomes more expensive to produce food here in Michigan," Ortega said while addressing the committee.
The Trump administration announced up to $12 billion in aid for U.S. farmers this week, but Reese expressed skepticism about whether the assistance will be sufficient to offset current challenges.
"The little money we're gonna get is not gonna offset the lower price and the lower yield. It's going to help, but it's not going to tip the scales a long way," Reese said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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