In the Harquahala Valley, hay fields stretch as far as the eye can see.
Alfalfa hay is mainly used as feed for cattle and is big business in Arizona, with Arizona farms exporting over $100 million of alfalfa overseas a year.
Shannon Schulz has been farming in the Harquahala Valley for decades.
"There's no better way to raise a family than on the farm," Schulz said.
Schulz is unique in the Valley, as he not only harvests his alfalfa but also is part of the export process overseas. His main customers are countries in the Middle East, and China.
“Usually, this warehouse is full of hay. It’s not right now because business is just slow," Schulz said.
Business is slow because Chinese dairy farms have all but stopped buying U.S. alfalfa to feed their cattle after the country imposed retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports. China makes up about half of Arizona's alfalfa export market.
“With the current tariffs in place, which is in total about 66% from China to us, it puts our product out of the marketplace," Schulz said.
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Schulz says that now Chinese farms are buying from other countries in Africa and Europe. For the alfalfa now growing in Arizona’s fields, by the time it's ready to be harvested, there may not be a customer to buy it.
Losing about half of his business overnight has not been easy.
“It could break us," Schulz said. "It could break a lot of farmers.”
Schulz says he voted for President Donald Trump and believes in the goals of his tariff plan, to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and expand exporter access to foreign markets.
“In the long run I think it will be a good thing," He said.
But for him and many other business owners, the clock is ticking. Schulz says he has a few months of runway before he will have to decide what to do with his alfalfa farming and export operation.
“The question I have is, do we need them more or do they need us more? We don’t know," Schulz said. "We got to have some answers here very quickly."
During the first Trump Administration, financial aid was given to farmers hurt by tariffs. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has said the administration is looking into providing assistance again, but no official plans have been announced.
