Trump trade wars add stress to North Dakota’s $41 billion ag economy

Corn harvest at a farm near Mapleton, North Dakota during the autumn of 2024. Farmers await further news of how the trade war will impact them if tariffs against Canada and Mexico go into effect. China levied a 15% charge on corn on Mar. 10 after U.S. tariffs went into effect. Photo by Sabrina Halvorson, NDNC CEO.
Corn harvest at a farm near Mapleton, North Dakota during the autumn of 2024. Farmers await further news of how the trade war will impact them if tariffs against Canada and Mexico go into effect. China levied a 15% charge on corn on Mar. 10 after U.S. tariffs went into effect. Photo by Sabrina Halvorson, NDNC CEO.

Uncertainty over tariffs weighs on long-term market outlooks

Export reliance means bigger exposure

“North Dakota gets hit hard,” Mark Watne, president of the North Dakota Farmers Union and a farmer himself, said of how tariffs impact the state. “We export the vast majority of what we produce.”

Watne pointed to a study released by North Dakota State University in January that details how important the…