Dozens of Tennessee farmers are urging the state's U.S. House delegation to oppose President Donald Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs.
In their open letter Monday, 42 farmers say the tariffs would raise prices for farmers to update equipment, expand production or renovate farm buildings and storage. They say anticipated retaliatory tariffs would make it harder to export Tennessee crops and would hurt farmers' ability to make ends meet.
The tariffs have become a volatile election-year issue with open seats for governor and U.S. Senate in Tennessee.
The farmers specialize in soybeans, livestock, fish, hay and cotton, tobacco, corn, wheat and other items. Ex-state agriculture commissioners Terry Oliver, Cotton Ivy and Ken Givens joined the letter.
The letter echoes some tariff concerns raised by the Tennessee Farm Bureau and Tennessee Soybean Association.
