USDA’s latest export sales report, out Thursday morning and covering the week through March 20, didn’t have a lot of bullish data for traders to digest. Corn volume bested other grains, but sales were down 31% week-over-week and only made it to the middle of trade guesses. Soybean sales were lackluster, meantime, and wheat sales were largely disappointing.

Economists say America is in a new trade war with countries like China, Canada and Mexico. Tariffs and retaliatory tariffs play a big part in that, and Louisiana farmers could be impacted.

Donald Schexnayder and his brothers have been farmers in Erwinville for more than 40 years. They grow a variety of crops, including soy, corn, and wheat. Factors like weather and market fluctuations can make farming less predictable than other industries.

A proposal from the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to impose new fees on ocean carriers with ties to China could take a major toll on America’s farmers and ranchers. Two-thirds of all agriculture exports by volume are shipped overseas, and the cost of transporting them to international trading partners could increase dramatically.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on President Trump’s decision to delay tariffs on Mexico and Canada until April 2, 2025.

Farmers and meat producers across the U.S. can expect the new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China and the retaliatory action from those countries to hurt their bottom lines by billions of dollars if they stay in place a while, and consumers could quickly see higher prices for produce and ground beef.

With time running short on the 30-day delay of implementation of tariffs on Canada and Mexico, the U.S.’s neighbors to the north have already announced plans for retaliation. Betty Resnick, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says this all traces back to an executive order from the start of this month.