At GTKYF Foundation Inc., we’re deeply concerned about how recent trade policies and USDA funding cuts are squeezing small and mid-sized farms.
📉 Retaliatory Tariffs Hitting Key Commodities
Recent U.S. tariffs on imports from China, Canada, and Mexico have triggered severe retaliation—targeting soybeans, corn, beef, pork, dairy, and fruits. These measures reduce export opportunities, depress commodity prices, and leave farmers struggling to compete internationally.The Wall Street Journal+3Houston Chronicle+3The Guardian+3
- China slashed U.S. soybean imports by roughly 75% between 2017 and 2018—from around $12 billion to $3 billion—inflicting significant damage on soybean-dependent Midwestern states.CU-CitizenAccess.org
- Across corn, soybean, and pork exports, retaliatory tariffs have caused annual export revenue losses estimated between $700 million and $1 billion.IATP+6Economic Research Service+6Farmonaut®+6
- The American Farm Bureau Federation warns that these tariffs threaten the sustainability of commodity crops where “farmers have lost money on most major crops for the past three years.”Successful Farming+1Houston Chronicle+1
🔧 USDA Program Cuts Undermine Local Food Markets
Midst this trade turmoil, the USDA has also scaled back critical support systems:
- Programs designed to connect small farms with school lunch programs, food banks, and community markets have lost over $1 billion in funding—impacting the ability of small producers to build local markets.USDA+13Daily Montanan+13The Guardian+13Civil Eats
- The shutdown of the USDA’s Regional Food Business Centers—created to assist over 5,500 small and mid‑sized agri‑businesses—limits technical assistance, grant support, and local market development.Reuters
- In addition, recent restructuring efforts have seen more than 5,600 USDA employees laid off, including about 1,200 NRCS technical staff. Critics warn that these actions jeopardize essential services for conservation, climate resilience, and small‑farmer programs.Axios+2Wikipedia+2The Guardian+2
🧩 Real-World Impacts
These layered pressures disproportionately affect family farmers:
- Farmers like Jacob Thomas from Kansas lost about 10% of their income—around $8,000—after key USDA programs and local food procurement grants were eliminated. His expansion plans were derailed, plunging long-term operations into uncertainty.Houston ChronicleThe Washington Post+1The Guardian+1
- Illinois and California farmers have reported the loss of Conservation Stewardship and local food program funding—forcing delays in sustainable practices, infrastructure fixes, and community-based business growth.The Guardian+1Daily Montanan+1
âś… How GTKYF Foundation Inc. Can Respond
1. Policy Advocacy
- Support trade policies and multilateral agreements that protect export access.
- Advocate against retaliatory tariffs and raise awareness of their disproportionate impacts on family farms.
- Urge Congressional oversight of USDA program cuts, ensuring essential services remain intact.
2. Support Local Food Systems
- Help rebuild local market channels disrupted by USDA grant cuts.
- Collaborate with schools, food banks, and co‑ops to source from family farms.
3. Education and Resource Navigation
- Offer workshops navigating trade risk mitigation, market diversification, and grant identification.
- Help farmers access private donor funding or community-backed microgrants to backfill lost USDA support.
4. Community Organizing & Peer Networks
- Build coalitions of affected farmers, amplifying their concerns to legislators.
- Host advocacy events and peer-led trainings to build collective resilience.
Consider Donating to Support these ongoing efforts
🧡 Looking Ahead
Retaliatory trade policies and federal program defunding create a dual crisis: shrinking export markets and dismantled support infrastructure. That leaves small-scale farms especially exposed to downturns. At GTKYF, we aim to bridge gaps, empower local resilience, and remind policymakers that when farmers suffer, rural communities and local food systems do too.
FarmTradeCrisis #TariffsHurtFarmers #USDACuts #SupportFamilyFarms #LocalFoodNetworks #GTKYFFoundation #SaveSmallFarms #TradeJustice