Amid ongoing trade tensions, farmers like Mary Carroll Dodd are experiencing the ripple effects of tariffs on their everyday operations. Dodd, who runs Red Scout Farm in Black Mountain, has had to adjust her pricing strategy as costs rise across the board, from essential supplies to packaging materials.
The Trump Administration’s decision to increase tariffs on a multitude of imported goods has led to noticeable price hikes in agricultural supplies. For Dodd’s organic farm, items such as mesh netting for insect control and plastic bags for harvested vegetables have become more expensive. With the holiday season approaching, these cost increases are expected to impact the prices of groceries across America.
“When the price of everything it takes to grow vegetables goes up from soil to tools to fertilizer, packaging, transportation, then the vegetables on the holiday table goes up as well. Because of increases in our costs, mostly due to tariffs, we’ve had to raise the cost of some of our vegetables,” Dodd explained during a recent press conference.
This press event was part of the Tariffs Cost U.S. campaign, which aims to shed light on how tariffs are affecting both businesses and consumers nationwide. According to the U.S. Consumer Price Index, the cost of food consumed at home has risen by 2.7% from September 2024 to September 2025.
Dodd emphasized that the impact of tariffs on rising costs is not always immediately apparent. It took inquiries with suppliers and a deeper look into product origins for her farm to uncover the tariff-related price hikes. “For a small, diversified farm like us, those costs add up quickly. Our profit margins are already very thin, so every increase means tough choices,” she noted.
These financial pressures force farms to either increase prices or reduce spending in other areas. Meanwhile, reports differ on the cost of Thanksgiving meals this year. The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates that a traditional Thanksgiving dinner will cost $77.09, slightly down from last year, whereas the Century Foundation claims a 10% price increase, estimating the cost at $140.25 compared to $127.76 last year.
Collin Tuthill, CEO of Royal Food Import Corp., an Asheville-based company, also reports shifts in purchasing behavior among customers. Since the tariff increases, there has been a noticeable trend toward buying cheaper or fewer items, which affects food availability at food banks, portion sizes in cafeterias, and nutritional quality in institutions like hospitals and prisons.
“Placing a tariff or a tax on any kind of food item is something that makes absolutely no sense to me. You know, I can understand if you want to place tariffs on TVs or tennis shoes or something that’s not an essential item,” Tuthill commented.
The Trump Administration defends these tariffs as mechanisms to bolster American industries and promote fair trade agreements, with the aim of encouraging domestic manufacturing. However, research from the Tax Foundation indicates that these tariffs effectively add a $1,200 tax burden on the average U.S. consumer in 2025, potentially increasing to $1,600 by 2026. Over the next decade, tariffs are projected to generate $2.3 trillion in federal revenue but may concurrently reduce the national GDP by 0.6%.
Tuthill highlighted the case of canned fruit, predominantly imported from China due to lower production costs. Initially subject to a 25% tariff, the rate surged to 55% before slightly decreasing to 45%, significantly affecting purchase volumes.
This month, the Trump Administration announced a rollback of tariffs on select grocery items such as bananas, beef, coffee, and spices.
Furthermore, Nick Levendofsky, president of the Kansas Farmers Union, pointed to the detrimental impact of 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum — a significant increase from the previous 25%. These materials are crucial for both canned goods and farming equipment, affecting the cost of grain and vegetable production.
“If farmers have had to purchase that equipment ahead of harvest or even planting season, those are reflected in those prices,” Levendofsky stated.
