President Trump declared April 2 “Liberation Day” where a 10 percent across the board tariff was tacked to foreign imports. “We’ve been taken advantage of,” Trump has repeatedly said, pointing to other nations that have higher tariffs on U.S. goods.
Conservatives have advocated for free trade for decades, saying that it reduces prices for consumers and grows the economy. U.S. Senator Rand Paul told WABC 770 AM’s radio host John Catsimatidis that he disagrees with Trump “because trade has made us so rich and really has made the world a better place. The more we trade … the less we fight.” Paul pointed out that the Kentucky Bourbon makers and auto manufacturers oppose tariffs.
But not all Kentucky industries benefit from free trade. Consider U.S. sheep producers, of which I am one. My wife and I recently joined the Kentucky Sheep and Wool Producers Association (KSWPA) to help grow our modest flock of Dorper’s on our Bald Knob farm in North Franklin County. A recent email from KSWPA applauded the 10% tariff on sheep imports from New Zealand and Australia. According to American Sheep Industry Association (ASIA) President Ben Lehfeldt “Our main competitors flooded the U.S. market by an additional 30 percent in 2024. Predatory imports must be countered with every tool in the toolbox.”
U.S. sheep production has declined by 90 percent since the mid-20th century. Today, the U.S. imports more than twice as many sheep and lamb than are produced domestically. So sheep farmers, like myself, are asking why? Shouldn’t American sheep farmers be able to sell abroad at the same rate?
Other ag producers have also been treated unfairly. U.S. cattle farmers cannot import live cattle or beef products into Argentina. The United Kingdom severely restricts beef imports. Brazil has an 18% tariff on ethanol. Turkey imposes is 60% tariff on apples while we allow duty-free imports. South Africa drastically restricts pork and poultry products from the U.S. In each case, America’s exporting ag producers are at a disadvantage.
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Senior VP of Government Affairs Ethan Lane applauded the across the board tariffs and said “For too long, America’s family farmers and ranchers have been mistreated by certain trading partners around the world… .” He and his organization are committed to “optimiz[ing] opportunities for exports abroad.” According to the Kentucky Cattleman’s Association, Kentucky cattle farmers have the 8th largest inventory of cattle in the nation, with gross receipts totaling over $1 billion last year. Kentucky’s agriculture cash receipts for 2024 were close to $8.3 billion according to economists at the UK’s Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture.
The trade issue is more complicated than tariffs alone. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent points to foreign government’s currency manipulation, subsidized financing, and non-tariff barriers which undercut U.S. exports. Such unfairness has been tacitly recognized. Close to 70 countries have contacted the White House indicating they want to come to the table to renegotiate trade policy. Bessent “suggested that foreign officials keep your cool… and at a point, President Trump will be ready to negotiate.”
Critics will say that a scalpel should have been used instead of a hatchet to reset trade policy. I just got off the phone with one of the most prominent agriculture figures in the state to get his take on how tariffs would affect Kentucky ag products. He was entirely in favor of the tariffs and believes that America has been mismanaged in many ways at the national level. His sentiment appears emblematic of voter distrust of the federal establishment.
The stock market has been jittery but reacted positively to the 90 day pause President Trump just declared. But my farming neighbors in Bald Knob care more about fair trade. I’m sheepish about a trade war. I don’t want my neighbors to suffer, but I’m all-in for a reset that makes fair trade for our farmers a priority.
