ATLANTA — If you ask Georgia cattle farmer Scott Craig about who has been impacted by the trade war and what costs have gone up, he’ll tell you just about everyone and everything, especially in agriculture. “I classify [it] as our three F’s. The fuel, the feed and the fertilizer.” Craig has been a cattle farmer in McDonough, Ga., about an hour from Atlanta, for most of his life. “I love being out here with the cows. It’s all I’ve ever done.” But like many, he’s seen his costs go up from butchering to fuel. Beyond the import costs associated with tariffs, the war in Iran has spiked the cost of gas and diesel. One tracker published by Brown University suggests the price of diesel in Georgia has risen by US$2.18 per gallon (C$0.80 per litre) since the war began. “It’s more than double to fill up these tractors when we either bush hog or planting or cutting hay or doing anything on them,” he said. “The cost is through the roof now.” There is solid support for U.S. President Donald Trump in Georgia, but there are also questions about the president’s trade policy. While many are loyal to Trump, voters are divided over the high cost of living. “I’m sure it’s going to impact people when they vote,” Craig said of the upcoming U.S. midterms. Replacing Canada’s exports? It’s a sentiment echoed by Greg Adams, vice president at Adams-Briscoe Seed Co., a feed, seed and farm supply store in Jackson, Ga. He hopes Georgians consider Trump’s trade policies when they cast their ballots in next week’s midterm election. “I hope it has a bigger impact than it seems. But we are down here in the South, and it’s kind of hard to see past the noise.” Adams has noticed his costs increase too, especially for fertilizer. “They can’t get it locally, they can’t source it locally. They have to get it from Canada, and there’s not too many other countries that are putting out the supply that y’all do,” Adams said. “My seed prices are going to go up and I’ve got to pass all that down to my customers.” Georgians want stability: expert It’s not just the cost of goods coming in. Canada is Georgia’s largest export market at US$6.8 billion a year. Two-way trade between the state and Canada totalled around US$13.3 billion last year. Georgia’s manufacturing and agriculture industries are among those in the state that have been hit hard by tariffs. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce said some businesses are delaying decisions around investment and expansion. “The stable trade environment is what so many Georgia businesses are looking for,” said Daniela Perry, the executive director of the Georgia Chamber Foundation, the research arm of the Chamber of Commerce. As CTV News first reported, multiple sources have said trade discussions between the U.S. and Canada have restarted in earnest ahead of the midterm elections with the U.S. keen to make a deal. Perry hopes it happens soon. “We want to make sure that we’re able to build those relationships at supplier networks in nations across the world, and to continue to have that predictable operations so that we’re able to create more goods and services and create better jobs for Georgians.”
