As President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on a broad range of imports from some of America’s key trading partners — who are responding with tariffs of their own — Anne Arundel County farmers are preparing to shoulder the brunt of the price increases while also bracing for cost increases due to bird flu and changes in state tax policy.

On March 12, Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from all countries went into effect.

In retaliation, China’s Ministry of Finance said it would add tariffs of as much as 15% on a wide range of agricultural imports from the United States like chicken, wheat, corn and cotton. China also put 10% tariffs on imports of sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy products.

Canada has since removed United States-made alcohol from shelves in some provinces in response to U.S. tariffs, among other moves.

While the dizzying exchange of tariffs has been taking place in Washington and overseas, farmers in Anne Arundel County are concerned about what they feel are more pressing issues.

“We’re all cautious about what’s going to happen next,” said Cory Stephens, owner of A.A. Co. Farm, Lawn & Garden Center in Pasadena.“I’ve actually had more concerns about the bird flu this year. As for small business owners, everyone’s concerned about Gov. Moore and what he’s trying to do to destroy small business in the state of Maryland.”

Moore’s proposed $67.3 billion spending plan includes $2 billion in cuts and efficiencies and a business service tax that could affect small businesses like Stephens’.

Anne Arundel reported its first case of bird flu Wednesday, a virus that has been partly responsible for the nationwide increase in egg prices in recent months.

Deana Tice, owner of En-Tice-Ment Stables in Harwood and president of the Maryland Farm Bureau, said she’s “very concerned” about Moore’s approach to closing the state’s $3 billion budget deficit.

She said some of the cuts recommended in Moore’s proposed budget could harm agriculture preservation programs, the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, and agriculture education, among other things.

But experts worry the tariffs will become the biggest issue facing these farmers.

“We import virtually all of the potassium we use [and] Canada produces almost all of it,” said Jim MacDonald, research professor at the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “The biggest immediate impact on farmers, to me, is going to be tariffs and therefore price increases on that key fertilizer component.”

Other concerns surround poultry exports, one of Maryland’s major agricultural industries. About 20% of United States poultry is exported, MacDonald said. Most of that goes to Canada and Mexico.

The 2022 Census of Agriculture, released in February 2024, showed poultry, corn and soybeans as the number one crops in Maryland.

“Fertilizer is huge,” County Executive Steuart Pittman said. “That’s a major expense for grain farmers, so that’s going to be a hard hit.”

Pittman defended Moore, saying he’s done well to protect agriculture in Maryland. He pointed toward the Department of Legislative Services’ proposed changes to Moore’s proposed budget that include eliminating funding for land preservation for four years as well as cutting funds to the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Fund.

“That’s where the concern really lies,” Pittman said. “I think it really depends what the General Assembly does with those proposals from [Legislative Services]. I think the governor was careful about trying to protect agriculture.”

MacDonald also pointed to steel and aluminum imports as issues that could affect Anne Arundel. The United States imports roughly 25% of its steel from Canada and Mexico, with most aluminum coming from Canada.

“In terms of agriculture, that goes into both equipment and structures,” MacDonald said. “Whether it’s a poultry house on the Eastern Shore or the greenhouses and things in Anne Arundel, that will lead pretty quickly to increases in the cost of those structures and equipment that use steel and aluminum.”

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