The following statement can be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “Farmers need the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), and the sooner the better. U.S. agriculture needs strong trade agreements to access customers around the world and grow our farm economy. We are grateful for the Administration’s work to move this agreement forward. We urge Congress to finish …
Study Shows Trade Agreements by Competitors will Threaten U.S. Dairy Exports to Japan
A study released by the U.S. Dairy Export Council projects that new trade agreements between Japan and other countries will put U.S. dairy exports at a competitive disadvantage, resulting in lost U.S. sales of $5.4 billion over 21 years. The Japanese dairy market, the fourth-largest export destination for U.S. dairy exports, is expected to continue to grow in years to …
Tariff Mitigation Payments May Not Be What Was Expected
A senior USDA official says the amount of money sent to farmers to help mitigate the financial damage from the trade war may not be as much as expected. An Agriculture Dot Com article quotes USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey as saying up to two-thirds of the Trump trade aid payments were made by early January. Northey says, “up to …
Groups Urge Administration To Lift Metals Tariffs
A diverse, ad hoc coalition of more than 45 groups representing many sectors of the U.S. economy joined the National Pork Producers Council in calling for an end to U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican aluminum and steel imports so that America can take advantage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The Trump administration on June 1, 2018, imposed a 25 …
EU Won’t Include Agriculture In Trade Talks With U.S.
The National Pork Producers Council said it cannot support a trade agreement between the United States and the European Union that does not include agriculture, after the European Commission today issued draft negotiating mandates to EU member states that doesn’t include talks on agriculture. “We are infuriated,” said NPPC President Jim Heimerl, a pork producer from Johnstown, Ohio. “The EU …
Plenty of Agriculture Trade Opportunities for U.S. and Europe
There continues to be abundant opportunities for farm trade between the United States and the European Union despite the omission of agriculture in the European list of negotiating areas on a potential free trade agreement, European agricultural leaders said during a workshop at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 100th Annual Convention. U.S. farmers and farm state lawmakers have pushed hard …
Farm Bureau Gives Agricultural Trade Outlook for 2019
American Farm Bureau Federation policy experts gave an overview of the issues expected to affect farmers and ranchers in 2019 in a workshop at the organization’s 100th Annual Convention. David Salmonsen, senior director of congressional relations for AFBF, said the diverse impacts of tariffs, the outcomes of free trade agreement negotiations and the future of relations with China are all …
Perdue on Extension of Market Facilitation Program Deadline
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an extension to the original deadline for Market Facilitation Program applications. Agricultural producers who are seeking payments through the program, which is a part of the trade mitigation initiative, will now have more time to submit their applications. “President Trump instructed me, as Secretary of Agriculture, to craft a program that would …
Shutdown Delays USMCA Trade Agreement
The government shutdown could stall progress on President Trump’s North American Free Trade Agreement replacement, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Analysis of the agreement has stopped during the shutdown as the U.S. International Trade Commission, responsible for examining the trade agreement, remains at a standstill. If continued, Politico reports the shutdown could delay release of the report on the economic impact …
Foreign Ag Service Worked to Expand Trade in 2018
The USDA worked diligently in 2018 to expand trade opportunities around the world for U.S. ag producers. Those efforts paid off as global sales remained strong in spite of challenges in the trade arena through the year. Ted McKinney, Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, says it’s been a “rollercoaster ride this year,” but U.S. farm exports remain strong, …