The tariffs and their changing status by the week have put our next expansion on hold. It should be being built right now, but nope. Our next greenhouse structure quote was around $350,000, along with a $106,000 tariff on the steel and other components. I'd much rather spend that 100k using a concrete company in the area, or paying a local crew to build it, or plain old keep it. 90% of greenhouse structures are fabricated in Canada.
It also affects our supplies between peat and soils from Canada, plastic manufactured in the US but from resins from multiple other countries, plants that are grown in other countries and then cuttings made and shipped to the US, shipping carts made in China, and just day-to-day parts and supplies. Not much is untouched.
What are we doing to combat it? There isn't a lot you can do. Many do not have US options for sources, or if there are, they still might be 50-200% higher than the imported ones with the tariffs. We raised prices, and that is being raised by more than just the tariff issue. Energy, labor, vehicles, insurance, property taxes, all are up too. Insurance is getting super out of hand. Just for our farm and garden center, we have just shy of $100,000 in insurance policies a year. Then, almost 30k for our family insurance, and then personal cars and personal home insurance, etc.
Just getting hit from everywhere all at once.
