Hey there! Have you ever wondered where your food comes from? In the United States, farmers work hard to grow the food we eat every day, like corn, soybeans, and even honey. But right now, many of these farmers are facing big problems because of something called tariffs.
What Are Tariffs? 🤔
Tariffs are like taxes that countries put on goods they buy from other countries. Imagine you want to buy a toy from a friend, but you have to pay extra money just because it came from somewhere else. That’s kind of what a tariff is!
How Tariffs Are Hurting Farmers 🚜😢
President Trump decided to put tariffs on goods from other countries. In response, countries like China and Canada decided to put their own tariffs on goods from the United States. That means it’s now more expensive for these countries to buy food from US farmers.
Jim Hartman, a beekeeper from North Carolina, said he’s losing a lot of money because of these tariffs. He even said, “I never thought I was going to lose this much money this fast.” He’s had to fix his old equipment instead of buying new, because the prices have gone “through the roof” (which means they’ve gotten really high!).
Another farmer, Scott Metzger from Ohio, is worried that if the tariffs keep going, “there’s a good chance that we farmers go out of business.” That means they might have to stop farming altogether. 😱
Why Is This Happening? 🌎💰
Countries trade with each other all the time. The US sells a lot of its farm products to other countries. In fact, in 2024, the US sold $176 billion worth of agricultural products! That’s a huge number!
The top countries buying from the US were Mexico, Canada, and China. But because of the tariffs, these countries are buying less from US farmers. For example, Bianca Kaprielian, who helps run Creekside Organics in California, said they’ve seen orders from Canada “go down or dry up.” That means she’s not selling as much produce as before.
What Does This Mean for Farmers (and You!)? 🍎🥦
If farmers can’t sell their crops to other countries, they might have too much food here in the US. This can cause prices to go down, which sounds good for shopping, but it’s bad for farmers who need to make enough money to keep farming.
Some farmers are worried they might have to stop farming if things don’t get better. That could mean fewer choices for us in the future. 🥺
Thinking Ahead 💭
It’s important to understand how decisions by leaders can affect people like farmers, and even us! Next time you eat an apple or enjoy some honey, think about the farmers who work hard to bring that food to your table.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
