The top agriculture leaders from the United States and Canada met earlier this week, discussing trade and the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. While no negotiations took place during the meeting, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the pair did lay out concerns on agricultural trade issues, including dairy. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the …
Sonny Perdue Talks Dairy Issues with Canadian Counterpart
NAFTA renegotiations and dairy issues were some of the topics Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue discussed with Canadian leaders this week as part of his first international trip as Secretary. According to a story from Gary Crawford, they had what Perdue describes as “frank” discussions about dairy issues. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024TriEst …
Legislation Would End Cuba Trade Embargo
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has come together to co-sponsor legislation that would end the Cuban trade embargo. The bill is called the “Freedom to Export to Cuba Act” and would bring an end to all legal barriers for the U.S. to conduct business with Cuba. Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar says U.S. policy toward Cuba has been defined by …
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to Travel to Canada
Secretary Sonny Perdue will make his first international trip as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Monday, June 5, to Toronto, Canada. “The bilateral U.S.-Canada relationship is important to the prosperity of both of our countries and I look forward to strengthening this bond with our neighbors to the north moving forward,” said Perdue. Perdue will meet with Canadian Minister of Agriculture …
Rollback of Cuba Policies Will Harm U.S. Agriculture
A recent study says any rollback of Obama-era moves to normalize relations with Cuba will harm U.S. Agriculture. The study by Engage Cuba, a coalition of private companies seeking an end to the Cuba embargo, says any new regulations on exporting agricultural commodities to Cuba could cost $1.5 billion and affect 2,200 U.S. jobs. That’s on top of the estimated …
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman on U.S. Beef to China
U.S. trade officials are meeting this week with counterparts in China to finalize trade protocols regarding the export of U.S. beef to China. The move follows last month’s announcement that the U.S. and China reached an agreement to restart U.S. beef exports to China, sidelined since 2003. However, as the Financial Times reported last week, China already has access to …
Leaving Paris Climate Accord Could Impact Trade Negotiations
The Donald Trump administration is pledging a plan of bilateral trade negotiations with individual countries, but Politico speculates his latest move may hinder negotiations. President Trump removed the U.S. from the Paris climate accord last week, joining just Nicaragua and Syria as the only nations not to sign the pact. Politico says the withdrawal sets up the potential for other …
NCBA Sees Great Market Potential for Beef in China
There’s been a lot of talks the past few weeks about U.S. beef heading back to China once again. Kent Bacus, with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, told a group at the recent Montana Ag Summit that he expects beef sales to grow tremendously once U.S. beef is allowed back into China. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata …
USTR: No NAFTA Deadline Set
The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office says no deadline has been set to finalize North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations that can’t begin until mid-August. Officials from Mexico have suggested that Mexico and USTR Robert Lighthizer have agreed on a December 15th deadline to wrap up the negotiations. However, the USTR office told Politico this week no date has been set …
Midwest Railroad Watching NAFTA Talks Closely
A railroad company that exports U.S. agricultural products to Mexico is closely watching the North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiation effort. Kansas City Southern Railway Company CEO Pat Ottensmeyer told KMBC-TV in Kansas City, Missouri: “We once branded ourselves the NAFTA railroad.” Since NAFTA took effect, the railway has grown to send 40 percent of its business to Mexico. The …