As trade policy once again takes center stage in international politics, North Carolina’s farmers are bracing for impact. Pres. Donald Trump has revived talk of aggressive tariffs, this time proposing a staggering 145 percent tariff on Chinese goods. Predictably, China has responded with its own retaliatory threat: a 125 percent tariff on U.S. exports. For North Carolina’s export-driven agricultural economy, this escalating trade tension feels all too familiar — and just as dangerous — as the one that required a multi-billion dollar bailout for farmers half a dozen years ago.
North Carolina’s agricultural sector is deeply intertwined with international markets. In 2023 alone, the state exported nearly $800 million’s worth in pork, making it one of the top three pork-exporting states in the U.S. Tobacco — a crop where North Carolina leads the nation — depends heavily on exports, especially to China. It accounted for over $668 million in trade. Other top agricultural exports from North Carolina included broiler meat (primarily chicken), soybeans, and other plant products, and each represented hundreds of millions of dollars in value.
Top destinations for these products include China, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and Japan. These countries aren’t just trading partners, they’re vital arteries pumping life into rural economies across the state. But when tariff wars erupt, these markets often disappear overnight. During the 2018–19 trade conflict, for example, Chinese tariffs on soybeans and pork sent shockwaves through North Carolina’s agricultural base.
As evidence that tariff wars significantly harm American agriculture, the president has sought to reassure farmers, reminding them of the $28 billion in bailout payments his administration issued during the last trade war. He’s hinted that similar payments could be on the table this time around. But as many North Carolina farmers made clear last time, one-time checks are no substitute for long-term market access.
More than 20 percent of total U.S. farm income is export-driven, and the American Farm Bureau has already warned that the proposed tariffs would drive up costs for critical farm inputs like fertilizer and equipment, while retaliatory tariffs would make American-grown products less competitive abroad. That’s a one-two punch for small and mid-sized farms, which already struggle with tight margins and limited financial flexibility.
At its core, this is about stability and opportunity. North Carolina farmers know how to produce some of the world’s best food, fiber, and fuel. But they need consistent access to international markets for both inputs and exports and a policy environment that doesn’t treat them as bargaining chips in broader geopolitical fights.
Instead of turning inward with protectionist policies, we should be strengthening trade relationships, eliminating unnecessary barriers, and investing in the future of rural communities. Because when trade wars are waged from Washington, it’s not politicians who bear the cost — it’s farmers in North Carolina and elsewhere.
