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Tariff talk has Grey-Bruce agricultural community facing uncertainty

A cloud of uncertainty hung over the Grey-Bruce agricultural community on Feb. 3, with an expected 25 per cent tariffs on all imports going from Canada into the U.S. set to take effect.

Late afternoon media reports said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had secured a 30-day reprieve from the tariffs, which were scheduled to take effect at midnight. The deal was reached over a border security package Canada planned to implement to curb fentanyl and illegal migrants from crossing the border from Canada into the U.S.

Earlier in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was pausing the planned new tariffs on Mexican goods for a month after a promise from that country’s president Claudia Sheinbaum to place 10,000 soldiers at the border to curb the flow of fentanyl and illegal migrants.

The seemingly constant changing dynamics of the situation had local agricultural leaders still unsure of how the region’s producers would be affected when, and if, the tariffs are implemented.

“We really don’t know the impact right at this point,” Bruce County Federation of Agriculture president Chris Cossitt said Monday morning. “We are bracing for something, but right at this time until they actually instate the tariffs, we are not sure what it is going to do.”

Grey County Federation of Agriculture president Keith Reid on Monday said it hard to say how producers would be impacted with so much uncertainty around what is going to happen.

“It is definitely on farmers’ minds, but there is so much up in the air right now,” Reid said the morning of Feb. 3. “We are already a tight margin industry and it is just going to put that much more pressure on.

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FLEECED! Sheep Shearer Hands Over Clippers!

Video: FLEECED! Sheep Shearer Hands Over Clippers!

It's sheep shearing day at Ewetopia Farms! ?? Our Dorset lambs and ewes are getting fleeced — and for the first time, our shearer hands over his clippers to a beginner. We finish shearing the last of our adult ewes and this year’s Dorset ewe lambs.

From moving the sheep between barns, loading them into chutes, and watching the wool come off, this is always one of the most satisfying days on the farm. But this video has a twist — we welcomed a new helper, Gian, who’s not only lending a hand but also learning how to shear! With guidance from our experienced shearer, he got a crash course in sheep shearing and even tried his hand at shearing a couple of lambs himself.

You’ll see firsthand how both teacher and student handled this unique challenge. Shearing is more than just removing wool — it’s about sheep health, comfort, and giving us a closer look at the flock. It’s always amazing to see the transformation from woolly sheep to freshly shorn ewes and lambs.