Current North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations are a lot like a Sumo wrestling match, according to Ted McKinney, under secretary of trade and foreign agricultural affairs for the Agriculture Department. He said there is an extraordinary amount of posturing in the circle, but he is hopeful that the United States, Canada and Mexico will meet in the middle …
Roberts: Trump Listening to Senate NAFTA Concerns
Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts says President Donald Trump “really listened to our concerns” regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). During a meeting between lawmakers and the President last week, Roberts says he “delivered the message that farmers and ranchers need to grow export markets and maintain our status as a reliable supplier.” A White House statement mentioned …
Canadian Minister of Agriculture: Trade – NAFTA/Essential to Prosperity
Trade relationships are the foundation for creating economic prosperity between nations, the Hon. Lawrence MacAulay, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, said at the opening session of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2018 Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show in Nashville. MacAulay, who is the first Canadian agriculture minister to speak to Farm Bureau members at an annual convention, said …
NAFTA Withdraw Threats Put Transportation Jobs in Jeopardy
Withdraw threats by President Donald Trump regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are putting transportation jobs at risk. Politico says that thousands of transportation jobs up and down the Mississippi River and across truck and rail networks are at stake, including those involved in the shipment of agricultural products. Barges loaded with grain shipped along the Mississippi River …
A Look Ahead to Livestock Markets in 2018
Livestock producers are heading into 2018 with both increasing production and demand. However, exports are critical to keep that trend moving. Mike Zuzolo (Zoo’-zuh-low) of Global Commodity Analytics says for beef producers, the path of least resistance for market prices is lower. Beef International demand remains strong for pork, with U.S. production increasing. He says export demand and slaughter capacity …
NAFTA Concerns with AFB Pres. Zippy Duvall
It seems trade issues abound as we enter the new year of 2018. In this radio brief from our network headlines this week, American Farm Bureau President “Zippy” Duvall, who is from one of the states where specialty crop producers are not so happy about NAFTA, briefly shares his concerns about the renegotiation efforts underway for NAFTA, which will soon …
Farmers Respond to Poll on NAFTA
The bi-monthly Farm Journal Pulse Survey recently asked farmers a simple question: “Do you think the U.S. should withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement?” About one-third of the nearly 900 responses were positive. Producers who voted for getting rid of the agreement did so because they believe the Ag economy would be better off without the trade deal …
Efforts Moving Ahead to Modernize KORUS
Efforts by the U.S. and South Korea are moving ahead to modernize the 2011 Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, or ‘KORUS,’ a key trade agreement for the U.S. pork and beef industries. The South Korean government sent its parliament a plan to renegotiate KORUS and announced it’s ready to start talks. The White House must tell Congress it plans to launch …
Perdue Hopeful for NAFTA Resolution
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiation talks are taking longer than originally expected due to reported disagreements among trade representatives. Although people may be skeptical that a cohesive resolution will be made, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue believes agreements will be made in the end. AgNet Media’s Abbey Taylor was able to catch up with him in Tallahassee …
Setting Aside Money In Case of NAFTA Failure?
A Politico report shows just how worried some lawmakers are about the potential failure of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations. Officials began talking on Tuesday about putting together a potential bailout of sorts for farmers. During a conference call Tuesday morning, Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley said he was going to ask U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer …