Why China’s New Tariffs On U.S. Are Concerning Utah Farmers

China’s retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. go into affect today, Feb. 10 and could seriously impact Utah’s farmers.  

Farming is a way of life in Utah and one of the state’s sources of income. Since no agreement was reached with China by President Donald Trump, there could be some impacts that Utah’s farmers see almost immediately.  

First Post said that China is imposing a 15% tax on liquefied natural gas and coal and a 10% tax on farm equipment, crude oil and pickup trucks.  

The beehive state has a lot of people and households who make a living out f farming practices. One of the biggest products from Utah is alfalfa, the Salt Lake Tribune said. 

Utah has exported alfalfa to China for a long time and though it went from about 14% export in 2019 to only 5% in 2024, the new tariffs will put a strain on farmers. Not only is alfalfa a big “money maker” for Utah (roughly half a billion dollars in sales a year) but it provides jobs for over 6,000 Utahns.  

In 2022, China exported $958 million in “other agricultural machinery” which included places like the U.S., Thailand, and Canada. The U.S. purchased $145 million worth of farming machinery from China that same year, The Observatory of Economic Complexity said.  

During a symposium in St. George, UT, local Utah farmer’s expressed concerns over the tariffs and how they will impact the state, the SLT said. Many feel that 2025 is going to an “uncertain year” and are waiting to see how the new tariffs and other policies are going to impact their way of life.