The National Cotton Council says the United States must remain a participant in a vibrant North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because it has been and can continue to be a very positive trading platform for U.S. agriculture, including cotton and textiles. NCC Chairman Ronnie Lee said the NAFTA trading partners of Canada and Mexico are significant markets for United …
National FFA Organization Looking for Convention Newsroom Interns
The National FFA Organization is looking for college students or recent graduates in fields like public relations, journalism, telecommunications, or similar fields, to help share news and feature stories from the national convention. The 90th annual FFA Convention is October 25-28th in Indianapolis. Students and graduates get a small stipend, inside access to the event, tips on becoming a better …
Perdue: U.S. Ag in Dire Straits
Sonny Perdue made his first appearance before the House Agriculture Committee this week as Secretary of Agriculture. He says the current U.S. agricultural economy is in “ dire straits ” but that could be helped by a stronger trade presence abroad. Perdue says he sees challenges ahead as President Trump’s initial budget cuts the USDA allocation by 21 percent. “We’ve …
Possible Key Points in the NAFTA Renegotiations
In his campaign for the White House, Donald Trump stressed the dangers of consistently running a trade deficit. A USA Today article says the administration will likely focus on ways to cut into the trade deficit when renegotiations formally begin on the North American Free Trade Agreement. One key point that Trump wants to revise is the “Rules of Origin.” …
White House Sends NAFTA Redo Notification Letter to Congress
Farm Journals Ag Web Dot Com reports that the Trump administration has officially laid out its strategies to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico in a letter delivered to Congress. The administration’s main goal is to update the Clinton-era trade deal. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer recently wrapped up two days of meetings with …
Wheat Industry Looks for New NAFTA Opportunities, But Priority Remains Do No Harm
U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) urge caution as the Trump Administration officially submitted to Congress its notice of intent to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The U.S. wheat industry welcomes the opportunity for improving the framework for cross border wheat trade between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, but would …
Dairy Industry Welcomes Swift Action by USTR Lighthizer to Launch NAFTA Modernization Efforts
The U.S. dairy industry commended Robert Lighthizer, the newly confirmed U.S. Trade Representative, for taking swift action under the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act (TPA) to begin the process for modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In a notification letter sent today to Congress, Ambassador Lighthizer outlined some of the areas of the agreement that are …
Tax Reform Central to Improving Economy
Farmers and ranchers need the economic benefits that will follow from tax reform, the American Farm Bureau Federation told Congress in testimony submitted to the House Ways and Means Committee. Weather, high debt-service, a lack of liquidity and the difficulties of passing on land from one generation to the next all make taxation an important issue for farmers and ranchers. …
NMPF Facilitates NCIMS Passage of Proposals to Enhance Safety of Dairy Foods
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) helped secure several positive developments for dairy farmers and their cooperatives at the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) this week, as multiple NMPF-led initiatives won approval from the NCIMS delegates during their biennial meeting here. The NCIMS is a national cooperative regulatory program that includes state milk regulatory agencies, dairy companies and …
NCBA Joins Canadian, Mexican Partners in Presidential Letter
“Don’t Jeopardize Our Success Under NAFTA” The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association today joined its cattle-industry partners in Canada and Mexico in sending a joint letter to the leaders of those two nations and to President Trump, urging the three leaders to not “jeopardize the success we have all enjoyed as partners of the North American Free Trade Agreement.” The letter to …