It’s Wednesday, August 19th, and we’re just a few hours away from the deadline for negotiations between the U.S and Canada to avoid a 50 percent tariff on several Canadian imports into the U.S. Cameron Castillo, an associate economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says the tariffs are set to impact a variety of Canadian products from various industries.
Castillo says although some goods are expected not to be affected by these tariffs, expectations for farm-related goods are not so optimistic. He expects the tariffs to be overall difficult for farmers and ranchers.
Castillo says discussions remain mostly private and have been described as very delicate and intense. With little to no information about what is being said behind closed doors, he hopes both parties can reach an agreement to avoid significant damage for farmers.
Farmers are currently experiencing one of their most challenging times, facing a variety of problems. Consequently, they are paying close attention to new issues, such as the negotiations currently underway between the U.S. and Canada. As Castillo mentioned, the farming community is expected to be negatively affected if the 50% tariffs on Canadian goods take effect.
