“A Big Difference”: Trump Administration’s Tomato Tariffs Already a Game Changer for American Farmers

Whitehouse.gov ^ | July 21, 2025 | The White House

[SoConPubbie]

In a decisive move to protect American agriculture and restore fairness, the Trump Administration’s tariffs on fresh Mexican tomato imports are already boosting American farmers, growers, and business owners.

Here’s what they’re saying:

• Chad Smith, Smith Tomato Farm (Steele, AL): “It’s only been two days now, and we actually have a lot more calls of people having interest in doing business — and the price hasn’t even changed.”

• Matt Rudd, Rudd Family Farm (Browns Summit, NC): “What you see in the grocery store now, instead of all those tomatoes from Mexico and everywhere else, it should be more local and United States-grown — where we can compete with those prices.”

• Rich Troccio, Bloomfield Groceria (Pittsburgh, PA): “It will not bother me if he put a 50% tariff on Mexico. It wouldn’t bother me because I don’t buy from there. It’s just the way I am. As long as it’s something grown here, this is where I want to buy my product.”

• Sam Newell, Fruit Fair (Chicopee, MA): “It’s a win-win for the community and us. Having tariffs on imported goods gives us a more level playing field.”

• Mark Reuben, Gilcrease Orchard (Las Vegas, NV): “We won’t raise our price, so it will stay $1.50/pound, which is what we charge.”

• Logan Duvall, Me and McGee Market (Little Rock, AR): “I can’t see how the tariffs are going to be negative on us at all. Being as tomatoes are a massive part of what we do, and we see the impact when that money goes directly to our farmers in our community versus a multinational conglomerate — it’s a big difference.”

• Steve Longmire, Tennessee Homegrown Tomatoes (Rutledge, TN): “In the fall and wintertime, we have to count on — and, you know, the nation does — tomatoes in the warmer climates, so that’s where it’s going to be a good thing for the farmer. Hopefully more of their tomatoes are going to sell at a little bit better price because of the tariff on the imports.”

• Patty Morgan, Grainger County (TN) Tomato Festival: “It’s a huge industry in our county.”

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Mexico; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: tariffs; trump

[Sacajaweau]

No reason for us to have ever imported tomatoes from Mexico.

[Jamestown1630]

Does this mean we might get store tomatoes that actually tast like tomatoes? I haven’t had one in decades...

[ponygirl]

Are they going to do avocados too? Or has California destroyed their avocado industry?

[SunkenCiv]

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[joshua c]

please grow and sell an actual tomato

what they sell in the stores is fraud

pink tasteless crap

[JSM_Liberty]

Unlikely, probably still the same watery taste with the mere hint of tomato flavor

[BipolarBob]

I grow and can my own.

[fireman15]

“WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) - The Trump administration announced on Monday a duty of about 17% on fresh tomatoes from Mexico, which account for two-thirds of the tomatoes eaten in the U.S.”

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-withdraws-tomatoes-agreement-with-mexico-2025-07-14/

Unlike many other tariffs the markup on tomatoes is not very great and they are a perishable product... so the the tariff will be passed on to consumers almost immediately. My wife and I do not eat a lot of tomatoes so don't have any skin in this game. But I still am not sure that this increase in taxation on consumers is a good thing.

[Danie_2023]

“”please grow and sell an actual tomato

what they sell in the stores is fraud

pink tasteless crap””

And it’s not even the tasteless part that so bad. It’s the “texture”. Sometimes almost rubbery. Yuk.

[Jamestown1630]

When my father in law was alive, he’d send us a box of his first tomatoes every year. I doubt I’ll ever taste one like those again.

[Dave W]

Buy it from a farmer. It’s not that complicated.

[BipolarBob]

I grow mine from seed. Much cheaper than buying plants and I get to choose the varieties. I grow mostly yellow and low acid tomatoes. The higher acid tomatoes may have a slightly better taste but the trade off is stomach acid reflux from ingestion of them. I mix and match.

[j.havenfarm]

That’s right. We can gas unripe American tomatoes with ethylene to turn them red flavorless lumps just as well, if not better, than it can be done with Mexican tomatoes!

[Repeal The 17th]

“...the tariff will be passed on to consumers almost immediately...”
-
I did not click on the article,
but even just the excerpt disagrees with you.

[fireman15]

Does this mean we might get store tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes? I haven't had one in decades...

I do prefer home grown fruits and vegetables. But unless you are canning them which is getting to be a lost art... you can't have fresh fruits and vegetables very much of the time in most parts of the country unless they came from some other area.

As far as taste goes... you are just dating yourself. The older I get the less I can taste anything. I was a finicky kid, but now I can eat just about everything. Most oldsters who claim to have a refined pallet can't tell the taste of any fresh vegetables apart, let alone tomatoes from Mexico vs tomatoes from Arizona, or even tomatoes from Aunt Bee's garden when she has them.

[njslim]

I grow my own in containers on the patio, cucumbers too

This time of year simply open back door and pick them fresh

In winter grow them indoors in a container near sunny window

[Openurmind]

“It’s only been two days now, and we actually have a lot more calls of people having interest in doing business — and the price hasn’t even changed.”

Sure... Let them grow them instead of fixing the market by “paying them not to grow them” and this is absolutely the case.

[fireman15]

I did not click on the article,
but even just the excerpt disagrees with you.

No, it does not!

[Openurmind]

And GOUT...