DENVER – Colorado’s farmer and ranchers have been going through a tough few years. The prices they receive for the commodities are now half of what they were when they peaked in 2012. On top of that, they’re now having a tougher time selling some of those commodities due to retaliatory tariffs being levied on their goods.
“Often in agriculture we feel like we’re the tip of the spear when it comes to retaliatory tariffs,” Colorado agriculture commissioner Don Brown told Anne Trujillo on this weekend’s Politics Unplugged.
President Donald Trump has recently announced plans for a $12 billion tariff relief package for farmers and ranchers. Commissioner Brown says the money is welcome, but it’s only a short-term fix.
“I think that’s recognition of the suffering that’s been inflicted on us by the tariff talk, but I think we recognize that doesn’t cure the problem,” Brown said. “Those commodities still have to go someplace. They’re still being raised. They have to go someplace.”
Brown doesn’t believe that these tariffs will have much of an immediate impact on the prices most of us pay for produce in the store. But we could see changes in the long term.
“On the whole, you will not feel that impact except agriculture is Colorado’s number two or three economy. Long term, when it suffers, those dollars are not here to spend in Colorado.”
Politics Unplugged airs Sundays at 4:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Denver7 and noon on K3-KCDO.