Published: Apr. 1, 2025 at 6:25 PM EDT|Updated: 4 hours ago
(WABI) – Maine’s farms, breweries, and other businesses say they’re worried about the impacts of newly imposed and upcoming tariffs placed on imports by the Trump administration.
As part of their Tariffs Cost US campaign, nationwide organization Trade Connects Us gathered local business leaders to discuss how these tariffs have been, and will continue, to impact them.
Sarah Alexander, Executive Director of Maine Organic Farmer and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), describes these feelings succinctly, “Farmers are worried about their overall farm viability, but they’re also worried about really getting food out to all of those who need it.”
Last month, President Donald Trump implemented a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports with the White House’s website citing a “national security threat” from “global oversupply.”
Wednesday, Trump is planning to introduce another 25% tariff on all goods imported from Canada and Mexico with the aim of stopping illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking.
Alexander says the already and upcoming tariffs will raise prices for farmers.
“In addition to the grain imports and fertilizer imports that might be coming from Canada, we are also expecting increases on other imports that farms may need, materials, resources, things for infrastructure that farms might be building on their farm,” she said.
The Maine Dairy Industry Association (MDIA) says if farmers can’t import resources from Canada, consumers will pay the price in Maine milk quantity and quality.
MDIA President and dairy farmer Annie Watson says at her farm housing around 170 cows, all of the grain her herd eats comes from Canada. This is due to the financial and physical feasibility of getting resources close to home.
“We are expecting an increase of about $100 a ton for our organic grain,” Watson says regarding the new tariffs. “That would mean many of our producers would likely feed less grain, which in turn would have impacts to not only fertility and health, but some milk production. The challenge with fertilizer is the fertilizer companies, all are located in Canada.”
Many Maine industries also rely on our northern neighbor for business, like blueberry processors.
“While a lot of the processing happens here in Maine, that processor is also processing blueberries for Canada and is dependent upon that expanded market in order to have enough work to make it cost effective to be able to process those wild blueberries here in Maine,” Alexander explains.
You won’t just see these impacts on grocery store shelves but in other Maine-based businesses as well.
Already reeling from price hikes to produce cans, craft breweries fear losing iconic Maine tastes and brands.
“Many of our breweries use Maine ingredients in their beers, from grain to hops to blueberries,” describes Sarah Bryan, executive director of the Maine Brewers’ Guild. “We have an unquestionable commitment to local agriculture and community, and our breweries purchased over 4,000,000 pounds of Maine agricultural products every year.”
Despite contributing over $690 million in annual revenue for the state, Bryan predicts breweries will be forced to pick between crafters or their consumers paying the price in recuperating loses from both tariffs.
“In an inflationary market, we are facing the very real possibility of accepting serious decreases to already slim profits or to pass along to our customers, which we consider a truly lose-lose scenario as prices are already high,” Bryan said.
Alexander says these tariffs just add insult to injury to already-strained farms.
“This is at a time when the cost of production is already high from the last number of years of record inflation, increased labor costs and other costs that have gone up,” she explains. “And this is also coming at a time in the season when the plans are already set for what folks were hoping and planning to do this year.”
Alexander went on to say these conditions combine to create higher costs to consumers for farms that have the ability to raise their prices.
For farms that follow federal prices, they may be priced out of operation entirely.
