Canadian pork producers bring trade pitch to Iowa State Fair as tariff tensions simmer

DES MOINES, Iowa — Pork is a popular topic at the Iowa State Fair as hungry patrons chow down on barbecue and curious children gaze with wide eyes at the state's biggest pig. But the 11-day fair in Des Moines has also proven an important opportunity for Canadians to make their case at a time of tumult in the Canada-U.S. relationship.

“Sometimes you just need to remind people in Iowa that that relationship is really beneficial for them,” said Rick Prejet, chair of Manitoba Pork, at the state fair on Friday.

Prejet and Manitoba Pork general manager Cam Dahl were among a Manitoba-led Canadian delegation to the fair who met with local politicians and industry groups, including the Iowa Pork Producers Association.

“We are taking our message directly to where our priority stakeholders are,” said Richard Madan, Manitoba's senior representative to the United States. “Meeting face-to-face is essential to strengthen relationships, build trust and deepen understanding.”

Why Canada is courting Iowa

Canada's Ambassador to the United States Mark Wiseman took part in the traditional pork chop flip — which was successful on the second try — and stood for photos with the Iowa Pork Queen Saturday afternoon. Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, Minneapolis Consul General Beth Richardson and representatives from Quebec and Alberta also attended.

Manitoba Pork has long travelled to the state fair but the stakes are higher this year as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens a new round of hefty tariffs on an array of Canadian products. Ottawa has revved up negotiations in Washington to find an off-ramp to the 50 per cent duties set to go into place Wednesday.

Iowa's deep pork connection to Manitoba

Manitoba ships more than three-million young pigs to the United States each year and about two million go directly to Iowa.

“We're not pushing those pigs down here. They're pulling them from us,” Prejet said. “There's a need. There's a demand. We just kind of come down to just remind everybody the importance of our relationship.”

While trade talks in the U.S. Capitol are important, on-the-ground diplomacy at the state level could help garner support for Canada outside the Beltway. Madan said the delegation strengthened relationships and received honest feedback on critical issues. They met with legislators, regulators, the local mayor and state leaders. They also held meetings with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Iowa's secretary of agriculture and the head of the farm bureau, among others.

The State Fair as a political battleground

The Iowa State Fair is known for being a political hotspot, with local and federal politicians continuously making their cases directly to voters on the so-called “soap box” on-site. United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and U.S. Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler were among the Trump administration heavy hitters who also made an appearance on the fairgrounds last week.

Talking to local news stations and fair goers, Greer made the case for Trump's unpredictable tariff policies that have brought significant challenges to the agriculture-centred state. A group of farmers talking about trade at the fair on Friday mentioned how the state's soybean exports got hammered by China's retaliations to U.S. tariffs.

But when asked about the looming duties on Canada they were more hesitant in their answers. The farmers said the tariffs were a response to Canada's dairy supply management system — which they claimed is unfair to U.S. producers — and the trade deficit, which is largely due to the U.S. purchase of Canadian oil.

What's at stake for Iowa's economy

Canada is Iowa's largest customer, with the state exporting $4.9 billion US to America's northern neighbour in 2025. That represents 30 percent of Iowa's total exports. Iowa also imports $3.2 billion US in goods from Canada, many of which are agriculture or machinery products that support local industries that rely on the deeply integrated North American market.

“I'll be super, super honest, I don't know a lot about it,” said 33-year-old Kaitlin Becker about Iowa's relationship with Canada. Becker isn't alone. Many Iowans at the fair didn't know about the state's relationship with Canada and didn't feel comfortable talking about the current upheaval caused by Trump's tariffs and threats of annexation.

Industry groups want stability and CUSMA continuation

But U.S. agriculture and industry groups that spoke to the Canadian delegation shared that they were looking for stability and the continuation of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known as CUSMA. Dahl said “the support from here is incredibly strong for our trade agreement.” While Canadian agriculture has largely been shielded from Trump's tariffs so far, there is a lot of cross-border talk about making sure it stays that way.

“It's well understood that both of us benefit. Producers benefit, processors benefit and consumers benefit,” Dahl said. “And if that supply chain was going to be interrupted, everybody along the way would be hurt.”

The Trump administration did not extend CUSMA in July. That triggered an annual rolling review of the trade deal for up to a decade, at which point it would expire if all three countries cannot come to an agreement for an extension. Mexico and the United States have launched official CUSMA negotiations, but Ottawa and Washington have not started such talks. Many observers say Trump's latest tariffs threats are meant to push Canada to the negotiating table.

Iowans divided on the trade relationship

Victoria Riley said she's very disappointed to see the bilateral relationship deteriorate because “we've been such great neighbours with Canada forever.” She said she wants a return to how things were, adding “when people start imposing tariffs nobody wins — we all lose.”

“The politics in this country are just messed up,” the 69-year-old said at the fair Saturday.