Nebraska farm leaders are asking the Trump administration and the European Union to deescalate a trade war developing over tariffs.
The National Farmers Union and the EU ag group Coldiretti have sent a joint letter to President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen – telling them farmers on both sides of the Atlantic are vulnerable to tariffs, which would reduce markets for their crops.
While there is talk of tariffs on lots of imported products, Nebraska Farmers Union President John Hansen said it’s America’s Midwest farmers who are most vulnerable in the tit-for-tat trade war.
“Ag’s nose bleeds first,” said Hansen. “It bleeds worst and in a lot of cases, it bleeds longest.”
The EU has responded to Trump’s proposed tariffs on farm products with retaliatory tariffs of its own.
Trump has also proposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada, until those countries do more to stop the flow of drugs and immigrants the administration says are coming into the U.S. illegally.
As one of the top exporting states in the country, Hansen said tariffs could be especially bad for Nebraska farmers.
“Whether it’s our soybeans or our pork,” said Hansen, “we have a lot of commodities that we grow in great efficiency and great productivity in our state that obviously need export markets.”
The Trump administration is scheduled to announce its latest intentions on tariffs April 2.
