News

Tariffs continue to cast cloud over ag industry

A leader with Association of Equipment Manufacturers says they are disappointed in the Trump administration’s decision to move forward with tariffs today.

Curt Blades, the senior vice president of agriculture for AEM, says although farm groups would benefit from better trade deals, short-term actions are doing more harm than good.

“Whether that’s an increase in steel prices for the manufactures that causes the pieces of equipment to go up or if that means there is a trade retaliation with China that causes them to not want to purchase our grain, that causes some real uncertainty and concern,” he says.

He tells Brownfield the possibility of a trade war has cast a dark cloud over the industry.

“There’s a big storm cloud that is unknown right now,” he says. “Hate to say that politics plays a big part of agriculture but it absolutely does because trade policy matters to our farmers,” he says.

In a press release, AEM says the move jeopardizes 1.3 million manufacturing jobs and it will continue to fight tariffs.

Audio: Curt Blades, Association of Equipment Manufacturers