| willemsb - 3/5/2025 21:11
I know very little about vegtable production. Would you care to comment on why Canada has been able to raise produce at a lower cost?
I dont know what canada's H2a type program costs a farmer or if they have illegal immigrants working cheaply or not.
But to partially answer your question, one big benefit canada and Mexico has over us is the use of growth regulators in vegetable and fruit production. Allowing almost double the yeilds. Somthing that will probably never be labeled in the USA, even tho my local university tested them in the late 80s early 90s with huge upsides.
Another thing canada and Mexico has over USA farmers is the use of tier 3 and tier 2 emission engines in new equipment, that lowers costs.
Now Mexico not sure about canada, also has alot of chemicals we can no longer use, at a way way cheaper price. They have equipment being built in Mexico with either Mexican or Chinese steel that cost less. Mexico has way way cheaper labor with no labor laws. The Cartel owns and runs most farms and lowers cost of production. Food saftey and handling requirements are nearly absent practices that allows cheaper production costs. Plus Mexico has a better climate with fewer water use restrictions.
Now you may ask how does Mexico's lower cost produce effect areas that dont even import vast majority of their produce to an area in the USA effect price? Well they are setting a cheaper market somewhere (like the south) and it has a trickle down effect.
Honestly not sure why Trump isnt pushing this, but if you want to put the screws to Mexican cartels take their biggest money maker/money laundry business away, agriculture. Its not even a hidden fact that its mostly cartel, look at alvacados.
Heck i am in the Pecan industry and a Mexican guy came into Texas with some wildly deep pockets funding him and he bought up atleast 20% of all pecan farm acreage in Texas. From first hand accounts of farmer who got bought out, good chance hes Cartel money. He got into the Texas Pecan Growers Association, the American Pecan Association (checkoff) and American Pecan Promotion Board(another checkoff). He has his hand in creating new laws and regulations regarding the pecan industry, including the importing and exporting pecans to Mexico. He is leasing a sizeable pecan shelling plant and importing shelled pecans from Mexico and boxing them in his Texas shelling plant to side step regulations. He is building a super sized shelling plant in Texas as we speak. Even with tariffs he can bring his cheap mexican pecans into the USA and shell them and still undercut everyone while making policies that undermine actually hard working USA producers.He has been making and delivering the annual Crop report that everyone watches a few months before harvest. I wonder if every other commodity has similar things going on. I can only gove first hand account to what i am in.
Edited by TexasPecans 3/6/2025 07:34
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Mexico's response
