CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — Megan Dresbach is one of many farmers across the state worried about the future of her business. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Trump administration's imposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada could potentially impact farmers if they retaliate 

  • Central Ohio farmer, Megan Dresbach, is a manure farmer and gets her equipment from Canada 

  • Ty Higgins from the Ohio Farm Bureau says Mexico, Canada and China are the biggest trading partners and retaliation would have drastic negative impacts 

As a farmer for 30 years, working in uncertain times doesn’t make the job any easier. 

“Any time we have another factor that creates uncertainty, it adds stress to an already stressful occupation,” said Dresbach, the vice president of W.D. Farms LLC.

Her particular farming business is spreading manure fertilizer across different farms, using equipment from Canada. 

“We do use equipment that is not manufactured in the U.S. That is just our preference, and due to the tariffs, there is going to be an increase in parts,” said Dresbach. 

According to Dresbach, farm income has—on average—decreased by 30%. And with the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, that will reduce the farmer income even more by 20%, essentially cutting their paycheck in half. 

“How could you function with a 50% loss in income over the last three years?” Dresbach said.

The Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada and an additional 10% on goods from China. Ty Higgins with the Ohio Farm Bureau said farmers are worried about retaliation from these vital countries. 

“When you talk about Canada and China and Mexico, those are our three biggest trading partners for almost everything we grow in Ohio. In fact, 20% of the farmer income comes from exports. So one fifth of the farmers' bottom line comes from what we ship out,” Higgins said. 

As uncertainty looms over Ohio’s agriculture, many farmers are worried about the future, hoping to receive help when the time comes. When Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was asked how he plans to help farmers who are nervous he said,

“As governor of the state of Ohio, I have authority in a lot of areas and one of them is not tariffs."

As for Megan Dresbach, she’s anxiously awaiting to see the impact. 

“With the impact these tariffs, we will see our parts bill increasing unfortunately,” she said.

And with the North American Manure Expo being hosted in Ohio this summer, Dresbach believes that could potentially be impacted too because a lot of the equipment is manufactured in Canada. 

“We don't know if the exhibitors would determine it is not economically feasible to bring down what they have manufactured and show it off,” said Dresbach. 

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