A season of uncertainty: As Trump trade threats loom, a Minnesota farm family braces for impact
Opinion editor’s note: This is the first in an occasional series of columns about the impact of federal decisions on agriculture, with a focus on one particular Minnesota farm family, the Johnsons. Installments are anticipated throughout the growing season, during the harvest and beyond.
KENYON, Minn. — Spring started with a jolt for Ben and Meredith Johnson. A tornado touched down near their hog operation, toppling an outbuilding and veering uncomfortably close to the barns that can house 7,000 weaner pigs. But soon after, the weather shifted: Clear skies and dry conditions gave them a short but crucial window to plant their 2025 corn and soybean crop.
“Go time” is a family effort. Ben’s father and brother, along with Meredith’s dad, all pitch in to help get seed in the ground on the family’s 2,500 acres in southeastern Minnesota. In mid-May, Ben and his father, Steve, checked the hydraulics on their Case IH Magnum 340 tractor before loading up with enough soybean seed to cover 80 acres.
As Steve planted the first rows, Ben followed behind on an ATV, hopping off to plunge a handheld gauge into the soil to check moisture and seed depth. Everything looked right. Soon enough, Ben was in another field in a different tractor, determined to keep going until “I get tired or run out of field.”
As I sat in the cab with Ben, it was impossible not to feel the spark that comes with a new growing season. After the months he spent analyzing yield reports, calculating how to stretch every dollar and watching price projections, one could sense his rush to work the soil: “Finally,” said Ben, a soft-spoken 44-year-old father of three who’s wanted to farm since ninth grade.
Ben Johnson, left, and his father, Steve, load the planter with soybean seeds before heading to the fields. (Glen Stubbe/For the Minnesota Star Tribune)
But this year, there’s an anxious edge to that springtime optimism: the on-again, off-again trade war driven by President Donald Trump. Like most Midwest farmers, the Johnsons bought seed and planned crop rotations long before Trump took office. That planning left little maneuverability as Trump proposed tariffs historic in their sweep if fully implemented.
The Johnsons know they can’t control the weather, but the trade conflict adds another unpredictable variable — one that’s already testing their peace of mind and could test their finances. In addition to corn and beans, pork could be caught up in the crosswinds. While others he’s spoken with have let their guard down, Ben Johnson, a meticulous planner, relentlessly scans the news just like he does the skies over his fields, trying to determine what may come and how to best protect his family, crops and animals.