As tariff wars continue, Farm Journal asks farmers their opinion on tariffs as a trade tool

As the U.S. continues to levy or threaten heavy tariffs to renegotiate international trade terms, Farm Journal asked farmers how they feel about being caught in trade war crosshairs again.

"As both targeted and blanket tariffs are applied, retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agriculture are also caught in the middle of the latest trade war," reports Tyne Morgan of Farm Journal. "How do farmers feel about this?"

AgWeb's latest poll asked, “Do you support President Donald Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiation strategy?” Morgan writes, "Even though the majority of farmers say they don’t support Trump’s use of tariffs, according to the AgWeb poll, it wasn’t an overwhelming majority."

Farm Journal polled 2,891 farmers in March 2025. (Farm Journal graph)

The poll's second question asked, “Do you believe USDA will compensate farmers for losses if agriculture is affected by a trade war?” Morgan notes, "The responses were much more mixed."

• 36% responded “no”
• 34% said “yes”
• 30% responded they were “unsure”

"What are farmers saying in the field? Michelle Jones, a fourth-generation farmer in south central Montana was asked the question about if she supports Trump’s use of tariffs on 'AgriTalk' last week," Morgan reports. 'No, definitely not,' Jones said. 'I don’t think that tariffs are an effective negotiation strategy, and I also don’t think that we’re truly being surgical in how we are applying them.'"

Not everyone agrees with Jones' assessment. "Some farmers and those in agriculture support the president’s heavy use of tariffs," Morgan writes. "One of those is Bubba Horwitz of Bubba Trading, who focuses on the commodity markets. . . . Horwitz said on AgriTalk, 'I think it’s a great tool to use. . . .You can bargain with those tariffs, you can do whatever you want.'"

At a recent interview with Fox News, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins "defended the president’s use of tariffs, also saying he’s holding Canada accountable," Morgan reports. "Rollins pointed out the president has been very clear that there will be an interim period where the economy readjusts."

Morgan adds, "Ninety-two percent of economists think Trump’s strategy of using tariffs as a negotiating tool won’t benefit U.S. agriculture in the long run."