Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross pointed a finger at special interest groups, including those in agriculture, as reason for hiccups in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiation. Ross earlier this week said the U.S. will “continue to take a hard line” on its proposals as talks get under way in Mexico City. Speaking at an event Tuesday, Ross said …
Congress Wants Input on NAFTA Withdraw, if it Happens
There are concerns that President Trump may pull the United States out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Wisconsin Third District Congressman Ron Kind says if that would happen, it would be the first time the U.S. has pulled out of a signed agreement. Kind believes that before a withdrawal happens, Congress should have some input on pulling …
McKinney Visit to India Good for U.S. Pork
The National Pork Producers Council says the recent trip to India by Department of Agriculture Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Affairs Ted McKinney bodes well for future pork exports. The trip, aimed at increasing U.S. agricultural export levels for India, allowed McKinney to press the nation to open access to U.S. pork. NPPC has been working for many years to …
NAFTA Talks Again Underway
Round five of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks are set to begin Friday (11/17/2017) in Mexico City. However, Politico points out that talks will unofficially begin Wednesday (11/14/2017). Much of the two-day prelude to the official talks are expected to focus on textiles, labor, cross-border trade and intellectual property. There’s little expectation of talks regarding agriculture, at …
Agriculture Watching NAFTA Talks Closely
The NAFTA renegotiations provide an opportunity to improve agricultural trade across partner countries. However, recent rhetoric and delays in the renegotiation are giving way to rising concerns over the trade deal’s future. Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst says U.S. agriculture depends on NAFTA. He says recent rhetoric regarding trade is troubling to farmers, especially after Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, …
Perdue: NAFTA Renegotiation to Benefit Agriculture
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says the purpose of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement is to help the entire U.S. economy, including agriculture. Speaking recently to agricultural journalist, Perdue offered these comments regarding NAFTA. Additionally, Purdue says the Administration favors bilateral trade agreements. In the end, he says, is that the U.S. is looking for simple, fair reciprocity. From the …
Farmers Need Trade to Move Record Corn Crop
It’s no secret that American farmers produced another record corn crop, which means overseas market access will be a big key to limiting losses due to depressed corn prices. The Illinois Corn Growers Association says this is what farmers pencil out on paper to demonstrate why market access is so important to corn farmer profitability. “It looks like our ‘what …
New Senate Hold on Ag Trade Nominee
Arizona Republican Jeff Flake has put a hold on the confirmation of Greg Doud, President Trump’s nominee to be the U.S. Trade Representative’s Chief Agricultural Negotiator. Politico says the hold involves concerns surrounding a controversial produce proposal that the United States has introduced into the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Negotiations. The seasonal produce proposal is aimed at protecting …
Ten Things Canada Wants From NAFTA Modernization
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations get going again in Mexico City on November 15. While the contentious issues like dairy supply management get a lot of headlines, there are quite a few items the countries do agree on. Shaun Haney covers Canadian agriculture for the website Real Agriculture Dot Com. He tells Farm Journal’s Ag Web Dot Com …
NAFTA Withdrawal Contingency Plans
Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue says he’s in the process of drawing up contingency plans for the agriculture industry, in case the U.S. withdraws from the North American Free Trade Agreement. The Washington Examiner says those comments come just days ahead of the fifth round of talks between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. There hasn’t been a lot of measurable progress …