(NAFB.com) – Farmer members of the American Soybean Association do not support using tariffs, which now threaten important soybean export markets and raise input costs for farmers, as a negotiation tactic. “Farmers are frustrated,” said Caleb Ragland, ASA president and soy farmer from Kentucky. “Tariffs are not something to take lightly and have fun with.” He says not only do they hit family businesses square in the wallet, but they rock a core tenet on which trading relationships are built, and that is reliability. Farmers for Free Trade also reacted negatively to the new tariffs in effect. “We are deeply concerned about escalating tariff tensions and their impact on America’s farmers, ranchers, and businesses,” says Brian Kuehl, executive director of Farmers for Free Trade. “We are hoping that lawmakers from all parties will listen to their constituents, who are concerned that everyone loses when barriers to trade are put in place.”