Growing Media Companies on Potential Tariff Impacts
November 7, 2025 The right growing media can make or break your greenhouse crop. Beyond achieving reliable performance, growers today must also navigate sourcing challenges, material availability, and shifting expectations around sustainability.
We reached out to growing media suppliers to get their perspective on many of these concerns. In this Part 2 of a series of articles, we look at how tariffs could affect substrate availability. You can find Part 1 of the series, an overview of the current peat status, here.
Jennifer Neujahr, Senior Director, Global Business Development Horticulture, Profile Products LLC: “Tariffs on imported raw materials (peat, coir, bonded plugs) remain a concern. Many of these inputs have no domestic substitute. This isn’t just an ornamental issue, it’s a food security issue, because more fruits and vegetables are now grown in substrates to ensure year-round supply. If Section 301 tariff exemptions aren’t renewed in 2026, growers will face higher costs and reduced competitiveness. That’s why we’ve advocated in Washington, DC, for streamlined, ag-specific exclusions.”
John Skaramagas, Senior Buyer, Purchasing, Smithers-Oasis: “The prevailing tariff environment does not appear to be affecting our ability to supply import-sourced components to our Oasis Grower Solutions division. In general, materials intended for agricultural use (blend and other ancillaries) — whether direct inputs or indirect components — are largely exempt from reciprocal tariffs. Overall, our capacity to support the grower business remains stable and unaffected, and we do not anticipate any material impact or disruptions heading into 2026.”
Frederic Gagnon, Agronomist, Lambert Peat Moss: “For the moment we are not having any problems. Things are stable thanks to U.S-Canada-Mexico trade agreement, and peat is currently exempt. But there will be a renegotiation at some point, and at that point we may be impacted. It will not change our ability to provide product, but the end user needs to monitor the situation, and they may end up paying more in the long run. It’s kind of murky right now, and hopefully the situation will stay as is.”
Josh Peoples, Sun Gro: “I think domestic sourcing of the supply chain in terms of where inputs are coming from will become an integral part of how growers operate. It’s important to create stability when necessary, and peat falls into that. Aggregates such as biochar and wood fiber are also coming into play more than aggregates like coir that have a lot more volatility.”
Søren Møller Nielsen, Sales Director Americas, Pindstrup: “We are focused on both tariffs and other things that can impact the supply chain. We utilize raw materials like coco, and that has certainly been affected. We are very open about the challenges our industry is facing. Currently there are no tariffs on our products. There are some alternatives that do have tariffs, and if and when those issues come up, we will be in constant dialogue with our customers.”
Subscribe to eNewsletter
