b'TRADE TURBULENCE AND A WORLD OF UNCERTAINTYSeed World sat down with ASTAs Sam Crowell to talk about the currentclimate and what it means for the seed sector.By Aimee Nielson, Seed World U.S. EditorEditors note: Trade policy and tariffAgreement (USMCA), Crowell notes. talks are ever-changing. Please checkIf your seed is produced outside of Seedworld.com for the most up-to-dateNorth America, you may be subject to information as it comes out. differing tariff rates, depending on the country of origin.THE WORD TARIFF might seem like aIf you product is crossing multi-vague policy buzz-word, but for thoseple country borders, you have to assess in the seed industry, it now comes withwhich origin rules you qualify for. If a steep price tag and a daily dose ofother countries retaliate with tariffs on uncertainty. U.S. exports, there may be additional In the short term, I think thetariffs going into their countries. So it hardest part for us all is navigating thegets quite expensive quite quickly.uncertainty around timelines and scopeThe uncertainty is also straining of coverage, says Sam Crowell, seniorlogistics.director of international programs andIn the early months of the admin-policy for the American Seed Tradeistration, several ASTA members have Association (ASTA). Sam Crowell, ASTA senior director ofalready shared with me that the queues at On top of that, some trading part- international programs and policy. the Mexican and Canadian borders were ners are beginning to announce their ownlonger than ever, Crowell says.actions through retaliation, he adds. Whats at Stake?Since January, the U.S. administra- For seed companies, the situation is moreNot Just Big or SmallEveryones Hittion has moved quickly to institute newthan a policy headache. Its a logisticalCrowell emphasizes that tariff impacts rounds of tariffs under the Internationalnightmare. arent limited to one part of the industry.Emergency Economic Powers ActWe move product all over the worldIts impacting everyone, he says. (IEEPA). Crowell explains that unlikefor seed production, cleaning, amplifica- Smaller companies that rely more heav-the tariffs introduced during the firsttion, and testing in different breedingily on Canadian and Mexican trade rela-Trump administrationwhich wentenvironments, Crowell says. Effectively,tionships in the short term are definitely through several months of public com- every time that product crosses anvery concerned. But that doesnt mean ment and stakeholder feedbackthisinternational border, it is checked by athat the tariffs, when they go into effect, time, tariffs are rolling out via executivecustoms official, and they have to makewont impact everyone. Its just a matter order under a different set of authoritiesa determination whether theres a tariffof what proportion of your sales into a that allow the administration to moveimposed. market are impacted.much more quickly. That determination can carry seriousCrowell says ASTA has been working The tariffs announced during theconsequences. around the clock to provide updates to first 100 days of the administrationIf you were moving seed back andmembers, advocate for relief and coordi-effectively increase the cost of importingforth, in this case, between the U.S. andnate with international partners.products for many countries by any- Canada or the U.S. and Mexico, youOver the past 100 days, weve been where between 10-170%, Crowell says.would have to take into account whethersending out messages multiple times Its happening almost overnight, andyou produce that seed in one of our threea week, sometimes twice a day, to a the rate will depend on the country incountries in order to qualify for tariffwide range of ASTA members that are which you do business; the nature of theexemptions, and document at the portinvolved in trade in North America, products youre importing; and the ship- of entry that you qualify for exemptionsCrowell says. Were also really actively ping windows in which you operate. under the United States-Mexico-Canadaengaging here in D.C. with our counter-26 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA JULY 2025'