You may have seen a few mainstream media stories floating around lately, touting the idea that tomato prices will go up soon. "Why Tomatoes Are Becoming a Lot More Expensive," a Time magazine headline reads. 

I guess Time doesn't actually expect anyone to click on the article and read it — and why would you? — because buried there in the fourth paragraph of the article is the line "Although the price of a bunch of tomatoes may only increase by a few dozen cents, the increase comes at a time when consumers are already sick of inflation, and when tariffs threatened by the Trump Administration could further drive up prices..."  

That's a lot of "may" and "could" for such a bold, declarative headline. Let's go beyond the fake news that just wants to find ways to stick it to Donald Trump and look at the facts, shall we?   

First up, about 70% to 86% of tomatoes consumed in the United States come from Mexico. That's no bueno.   

In 1996, U.S. farmers actually petitioned a trade court, claiming they were "being materially injured by dumped Mexican imports." Mexican farmers were selling tomatoes at an artificially low price. According to the Department of Commerce, there have been five suspension agreements over floor prices since then, the latest in 2019, but last week, it announced that the U.S. would be "withdrawing from and terminating" that agreement, as well as placing a 17.09% tariff on most tomato imports from our neighbors to the south. 

"Mexico remains one of our greatest allies, but for far too long our farmers have been crushed by unfair trade practices that undercut pricing on produce like tomatoes. That ends today," Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said in a statement. "This rule change is in line with President Trump’s trade policies and approach with Mexico." 

The Commerce Department's statement also reads: 

Commerce’s Enforcement and Compliance unit within the International Trade Administration is responsible for rigorously enforcing U.S. trade laws and does so based on factual evidence provided on the record. Commerce currently maintains 768 antidumping and countervailing duty orders which provide relief to American companies and workers impacted by unfair trade practices.

Antidumping and countervailing duty orders provide a critical tool for U.S. industries to seek relief from the harmful effects of the unfairly priced imports, including where foreign companies sell goods in the U.S. market below production costs or below prices in their home markets.

Essentially, the Donald Trump administration is doing this for the American farmer. That's the part the MSM seems to like to leave out.

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As best I can tell, a local Birmingham, Ala., news station is the only outlet that reported last week that farmers in the U.S. are quite happy with the Trump administration's plans. WVTM 13 News spoke with Chad Smith of Smith Tomato Farm in St. Clair County. 

"Less than 20 years ago, there was over 10 farms here on this mountain. Now, there's barely five, probably gonna be four within a couple years. And as another 20 years goes by, there's gonna be less and less," Smith told the reporter. 

He also claimed that the trade agreement with Mexico has never worked the way it's supposed to, and that Mexican farmers often took advantage of loopholes. For example, "If they send the tomatoes over and it's supposed to be a set price, and they need to move tomatoes, well, they may just give a load of bell pepper for free for them to take the tomatoes. So, it's never really worked," he said.  

But here's what really stood out about what Smith said. The interview was only conducted a few days after the agreement ended, and he was already seeing the positive effects. He was actually getting ready to send a lot of tomatoes out that day.  

"It's only been two days now, and we've actually have a lot more calls of people having interest in doing business. And the price hasn't even changed," he said. 

WVTM also spoke with Blake Thaxton of the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, and he pointed out that this doesn't just help American farmers; it helps all of us. "Food security is national security, and we need to be able to produce our own food here in the United States," he said. Amen to that. 

I'm far from an economic expert, so I don't know if the price of tomatoes or salsa or jars of pasta sauce will go up a few cents initially as suppliers adjust, but I do know that it won't become "a lot more expensive" as the Time magazine headline suggests. That's just a scare tactic meant to turn people against the Trump administration. And if ultimately I do have to pay an extra dime or two extra for those products, I'll do so gratefully, knowing the food was grown locally, helped keep farmers and their employees in business, and made our country more self-sufficient. I began supporting local farmers many years ago, which can be a bit more expensive, and it's been one of the best experiences of my life. It's even improved my own health.  

I also find it a bit ironic that the left has no trouble using our tax dollars to fund useless things like NPR and drag shows for Ethiopia or whatever, but they're all up in arms about putting a few extra dollars into the pockets of our own farmers — the backbone of our nation. Without them, we'd die. That tells you all you need to know.   

While the mainstream media twists headlines to spin anti-Trump narratives and bury the facts four paragraphs deep, PJ Media is committed to telling the truth, clearly, boldly, and unapologetically. We cut through the noise to bring you stories that actually matter to American families, workers, and taxpayers. 

If you're tired of being gaslit by media elites and want to support journalism that stands with American farmers, now is the time to act. 

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