January 16, 2026/Media, Press

NEW REPORT: Michael Whatley-Backed “Tariffs Are Costing North Carolina Farmers Nearly $700 Million,” Could Cause Loss of 8,000 Jobs Statewide

WFMY: “Tariffs […] are having an unintended side effect for North Carolina farmers driving up costs and shrinking overseas markets.”

New reporting from WFMY is spotlighting the devastation of Michael Whatley’s tariffs on North Carolina farmers, “driving up costs” that could “lead to more than 8,000 jobs disappearing statewide.” Whatley’s tariffs also mean “farmers are also struggling to sell their products overseas.” 

Michael Whatley has called the trade war “record setting in terms of […] effectiveness” and said he supports them “wholeheartedly.”

Read More:

WFMY: Farmers say tariffs are raising prices you’ll eventually pay

Ben Briscoe | January 14, 2026

  • Tariffs designed to protect American manufacturing are having an unintended side effect for North Carolina farmers driving up costs and shrinking overseas markets.


  • On his farm, Mike Jones says the impact is hard to miss.

 

  • His tractor, van, and fencing all rely on parts or raw materials sourced from outside the United States. Jones says repair parts now cost 20 to 25 percent more than they did a year ago, and even equipment labeled “Made in America” often includes materials imported from countries now facing steep tariffs.

 

  • New research from an agriculture professor at North Carolina State University, published through the John Locke Foundation, estimates tariffs are costing North Carolina farmers nearly $700 million. The report also warns the losses could lead to more than 8,000 jobs disappearing statewide.

  • It’s not just higher costs. Farmers are also struggling to sell their products overseas as other countries respond with retaliatory tariffs.

 

  • “When we do broad-based tariffs to every country, those countries retaliate,” said Donald Bryson with the John Locke Foundation. “That puts a lot of pressure on North Carolina’s farmers who no longer have a market to sell to.”

 

  • Jones says many farmers took major financial hits this year.

  • “A lot of them lost a lot of money,” he said.


  • “It’s driving up their cost and eventually, that drives up the cost you pay for stuff,” he said.

 

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