'Dealing with headwinds that aren’t due to Mother Nature': Hassan praises farmers' resilience amid rising costs

MEREDITH — Rising costs, some from tariffs, of everything from fuel prices to groceries and supplies, are affecting businesses and consumers alike, including farms across the Granite State.

Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) toured Moulton Farm on Monday, where owner John Moulton showed her the retail market and crops, and shared how his business is dealing with the current economic climate.

“Really, I wanted to touch base, because farmers deal with so much uncertainty as it is,” Hassan said. “It’s New England, it’s the weather, it’s if you’re going to have a wide enough window for your growing season to make a profit.”

Moulton said uncertainty is the No. 1 struggle for farmers right now. Since they are retailers, farms depend on thousands of sales per week. He admitted it is not an economical place to shop, and part of his job is figuring out how the farm can offer fair pricing for both himself and consumers.

“In our case, because the investment in the crops occur in the spring, our return might not be until October,” Moulton said. “And how are you going to know what the return will really be?”

Moulton also said rising costs affect how he pays staff, as well as keeping up with healthcare and finding them proper housing.

“It’s the uncertainty of how much more our costs will be increasing, and how we take care of our employees,” he said. “Everything you hear from any other businessperson is the same with us. But I am the only one in town that throws a whole lot of money out into the mud each year, hoping there are good results for summer and fall.”

Hassan walked the property with Moulton and members of his staff, which can include up to 70 part- and full-time workers, of the small business with a substantial payroll.

She saw the hydroponic greenhouses, where Moulton and Production Manager Kyle LaCasse showed her a variety of techniques used to expand their growing season. Moulton pointed out the tomatoes, saying he actually starts the process in his own home — a 70-degree environment — as early as January, before moving to the greenhouse.

“They’re really flexible here at Moulton Farm,” Hassan said. “They’re innovative.”

Hassan noted there is only so much farmers like Moulton can control.

“They are also dealing with headwinds that aren’t due to Mother Nature,” Hassan said. “They are due to policy and politics.”

Hassan noted the war in Iran has driven up diesel costs enormously, which directly affects New Hampshire farms. Transportation costs also impact farms' overhead.

“It hits farms, it hits transportation, it hits everything,” Hassan said to Moulton on Monday.

Hassan said while she is not on the Senate’s agricultural committee, she thinks it's important to stay up to speed. She wanted to hear the impacts firsthand, and noted Moulton and LaCasse told her about costs ultimately passed along to retail consumers.

There are always variables from Mother Nature, like last year when it rained every weekend in the spring, then turned to one of the worst droughts on record that summer.

Between the cost of diesel rising above $5 per gallon, higher costs for electricity, and increasing costs of fertilizer — Moulton said it was up 80% when purchased in the fall — the expenses can reduce planting, and thus, yields.

“The increase in diesel from the war, and the scarcity of fertilizer, is really creating hardship for farmers,” Hassan said. “In many cases, it means that farmers are paying a whole lot more for fertilizer, and planting less, because of the cost. So, I really wanted to check in on the actual impacts on the ground here.”

Hassan said at the end of the day, farmers should be supported by policy choices that don’t create additional hardships. She was happy to hear from Moulton that, in his case, he's adapting. But it wasn't surprising to the senator.

“These are New Hampshire farmers,” Hassan said. “They are resilient, innovative people. But the cost right now, because of all the decisions the president has been making, is really unnecessary hardship.”

Hassan said local food production is important, because the closer consumers buy their food, the fresher it is, and better it tastes. In a time when there is food scarcity nationwide due to rising costs and cuts to food assistance, she stressed the importance of having affordable, healthy food available.

“We also know how important it is for supply chains,” Hassan said. “That we have food available throughout the country grown here, managed here. We know where our food comes from, and we can really make sure we are all eating as well as we can.”

By speaking to farmers like Moulton — who has decades of experience and has seen variables change in a number of ways over the years — it helps Hassan understand the day-to-day decisions challenging farmers.

“This is not only a farm; it’s a small business,” Hassan said. “I am hearing from small businesses all around the state. The tariffs, the lack of certainty, now the war in Iran, the cost of gas and diesel, but just high costs and inflation, too. It’s just making it much harder to plan.”

Hassan said planning and stability, and figuring out how to invest and grow, is difficult for any business right now. She called for President Donald Trump, and the Republicans in Washington, to focus on the priorities of the American people by lowering costs.

Moulton said he and his team appreciate an elected leader taking time to meet them and talk about the conditions they are dealing with, and be an ear to take information back to Washington.

“I think sometimes, as businesspeople, we feel rather removed from everything going on,” Moulton said. “We know what our battles are, but when there is some indication that the folks in Washington are understanding the battles we see every day, we do appreciate that.”