Tariffs impact on Thanksgiving day table | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal. The author of this post is Katherine Zehnder.

    On Thanksgiving tables across the country the real stars may be homegrown. Whether it's turkey or ham at the center, or sweet potatoes in every imaginable form, some of the state's biggest agricultural exports are also the most beloved holiday staples.

    According to data from the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), this year, NC poultry exports have increased from $234.2 million to more than $250 million, or approximately 6.8%, YTD through August, According to the Producer Price Index for Processed Foods and Feeds, the prices received by US producers for processed turkey rose 8.9% between August 2024 and August 2025.

    The NC Poultry Federation reports that poultry overall is the No. 1 commodity in North Carolina contributing $39.7 billion to the state economy and creating more than 150,000 jobs. The state is ranked No.2 nationally for turkey production specifically, lending an economic impact of $9.5 billion.

    NC sweet potato exports have dropped from $109.4 million to $82.4 million, approximately $24.6%, YTD through August, according to EDPNC data. According to the Producer Price Index for Farm Products, prices for sweet potatoes rose by 9.3% between August 2024 and August 2025.

    North Carolina has been the leader in sweet potato production since 1971, producing 64% of the nation's crop. The largest producers are in Sampson, Nash, Wilson, and Johnston counties. The sweet potato was named the state vegetable in 1995 by the North Carolina General Assembly.

    "China is a critical market for North Carolina pork, which is why this year's developments have had such an immediate impact on producers," said Joseph Harris, fiscal policy analyst for the John Locke Foundation. "In early March, China imposed retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods, including pork. By April, Chinese buyers had cancelled roughly 12,000 metric tons of U.S. pork orders."

    EDPNC data indicate that NC pork/swine exports have decreased from $293.4 million to $269.6 million, or approximately 8.1%, year to date, through August. According to the Producer Price Index for Processed Foods and Feeds, specifically pork products, the prices received by US producers for pork/swine rose by 5.9% between August 2024 and August 2025.


    "Thankfully, a new trade agreement with China was announced on November 1, which aims to ease those restrictions, but the disruptions earlier in the year are already reflected in the pork export data," concluded Harris.

    According to data from the USDA, in 2024, North Carolina ranked 3rd in the nation, behind Iowa and Minnesota, in pork production.

poll#218

Now that President Trump is picking his cabinet and immediate staff to insulate him from the poor judgement of the Bureaucratic Class, while moving quickly to transition this Constitutional Republic unto a wise and sustainable direction: What is your immediate impression as to how our nation will prosper?

  We are headed toward a Golden Age in America's self-governed society.

  This will all wind up in a clustered mess since Trump is a Fascist, and thought to be the second coming of Adolf Hitler by our best journalists.

  This is a time where critical days lay ahead, where only wise and responsible decisions must be made to sustain US.

  I generally do not pay attention, but expect only the best to occur ... and that is what I always expect.

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