St. Albert-area farmers are facing uncertainty as they begin to plant this year's crop due to ongoing tariffs impacting the agriculture sector.
Although many are unsure about the impact on their product, they are going ahead with the season as planned. Some farmers have already started seeding, and others expect to begin early next week.
Jeff Nonay, a Legal-area farmer said he has already planted 600 acres of wheat, and changing his plan is not something he can do now.
"You just go with the plan that you had, and hopefully you get the weather, and the crop comes off and you deal with any of the blowback from tariffs on the marketing side somewhere down the road," said Nonay.
Andre Harpe, the Canadian Canola Growers Association chair, added that most planting decisions are made after the previous harvest season, leaving little room to pivot when trade conditions shift.
While the 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods from the U.S. will impact farmers, Harpe explained that the 100 per cent tariffs on canola oil, meal and peas from China have already caused disruptions.
"It's [the tariffs] created almost total chaos for the canola market and it's just so much uncertainty it's really hard to decide exactly what to do," said Harpe. "And anything can happen at any time, China could put tariffs on the canola seed itself at any point, which would be absolutely devastating."
Ron Krywko, a Morinville-area farmer, says that he is going forward with his canola crop but expects he won't make as much money from it this year.
While many farmers are moving forward with their original plans, one has decided to pull peas from his rotation due to the tariffs.
"I really enjoy growing the peas, but I just can't pencil out a profit with what they're forecasting again," said André Montpetit.
Instead, Montpetit is opting to grow more secure crops like wheat and barley.
"I can always sell that domestically,” he said. "It's just a little bit more of a secure market to be dabbling into."
Farmers are also raising concerns over the rising cost of fertilizer and farm equipment due to the U.S. tariffs.
"I just talked to my fertilizer supplier today, and he said, roughly, fertilizer is up about $200 a ton, and I'm guessing that's got to be due to the tariffs," said Krywko.
Montpetit added that there are equipment parts and fertilizer in Canada right now but sourcing it from the U.S. could be more expensive as it runs out.
"Fertilizer is going to go up, the equipment's going to go up, everything is going to go up," said Montpetit. "But right now, it's just we're still in the effects of the old ways, so we're kind of surviving that way."
Nonay says the rising cost may lead to farmers buying equipment second-hand as a more economical alternative.
With tariffs influencing crop markets and the cost of supplies, many farmers are preparing to face a season of uncertainty.
"We're in this together," said Montpetit. "The farmer is the one that is carrying the brunt of all of this."
