Summary
U.S. barley farmers face mounting financial pressure as Trump’s tariffs spark fears of losing key export markets.
Canada, the top importer of U.S. malt barley, has already imposed retaliatory tariffs, and Mexico may follow. Farmers warn that rising fertilizer and chemical costs, combined with declining U.S. beer consumption, threaten their survival.
Breweries may absorb or pass higher costs to consumers, potentially raising beer prices.
Experts say tariffs could devastate barley exports, with industry leaders calling them a major blow to struggling American farmers.
It doesn’t help that alternatives have been lowering their prices. For example Wine prices have been decreasing due to a large amount of over-production. When a can of fancy beer cost $7 and a decent bottle of wine cost $9-12, economics wins out.
Oh and south central Washington (Yakima valley) is taking a beating on Hop prices. Most of those expensive beers have a lot of hops in their recipes. Add in they are highly dependent on immigrant labor and they are truly fucked for the next few years.