CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Enough Republicans broke with President Trump in Congress this week to push forward a measure that would eliminate his tariffs on Canada.
Iowa’s largest export market is Canada, with the state selling five billion dollars in goods in 2024.
Each year, Iowa corn farmers’ yields increase. The problem is the production is outpacing demand. Farmers don’t have enough buyers and are forced to sell at prices lower than they can sustain.
Since retaliatory tariff policy began last year, the American Farm Bureau Federation says countries are finding new sources for their goods. China used to be Iowa’s biggest buyer of soybeans, but now it’s turning to Brazil and Argentina to avoid tariffs.
Dave Muhlbauer, a fifth generation farmer in western Iowa, said even if Trump’s tariff policy is reversed, lasting damage has been done to farmers in the state.
“When we see these markets get decimated the way they have, you don’t just flip a switch and turn that market back on, it takes time to develop those relationships and those trading partners to have good markets,” Muhlbauer said.
Earlier this week six Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives joined Democrats in voting to rescind tariffs against Canada. Even if the Senate passes the measure, it’s likely President Trump would veto it.
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