The Missouri Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers Conference took place over the weekend. I was able to attend with my husband and had great intentions to not ‘work.’ But when I heard topics being discussed that are timely and others might learn from, I couldn’t help but pull out my recorder and gather some content. Missouri Farm Bureau’s Director … Read More
New Coalition Advocates For NAFTA Preservation
More than 30 organizations have joined to form Americans for Farmers & Families (AFF), a coalition dedicated to preserving and modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by educating political leaders about its importance to agriculture. The groups represent growers, refiners, producers, transporters, retailers and consumers, including major industry organizations such as American Farm Bureau, Corn Refiners Association, National … Read More
Trade Tops Priority List for Beef Sector
A fourth-generation rancher on the central coast of California, Kevin Kester is president-elect for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). I was able to catch up with him during the National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s annual event to learn about NCBA’s top priorities going into 2018. As you can guess trade will top their list. Kester is on Secretary of … Read More
Trade, Farm Bill & Taxes…Oh My!
Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst represented the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) at last week’s NAFB Trade Talk. As you can guess, trade, 2018 farm bill and tax reform we key issues we discussed. When it comes to NAFTA renegotiations, Hurst said, “U.S. agriculture can see some benefits from this renegotiation. We can see changes to phytosanitary rules. We … Read More
Secretary Perdue in Europe
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has been on a whirlwind trip around Europe for the past several days, starting with meetings in London before taking part in the G-7 ministerial, taking part in World Food Day in Rome and meeting Pope Francis yesterday, and concluding his trip today in Madrid. “It’s been a very productive trip,” said Perdue during … Read More
Pork Checkoff’s Asian Trade Mission Offers Insight
Three National Pork Board officers and two members of the senior leadership team have returned from an Asian trade mission centered around elevating U.S. pork as the global protein of choice. The team representing the Pork Checkoff toured Japan and China from Sept. 5–16, visiting with pork processors, distributors and retailers, as well as importers and traders. “Pork is the … Read More
USDA Trade Mission Heading to Brazil
A USDA Foreign Agriculture Service trade mission to São Paulo and Recife, Brazil, is underway this week with leaders from 24 U.S. agribusinesses and trade organizations looking to expand their agricultural exports and further develop their business relationships in Brazil. “Brazil holds significant untapped market potential for U.S. exporters,” said Mark Slupek, deputy administrator of the Office of Trade Programs … Read More
U.S. & Mexican Dairy Industries Make United Call for NAFTA
According to the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), the U.S. and Mexican dairy industries released a unified list of priorities that includes modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to solidify their strong dairy market partnership, and addressing concerns about Canadian and European dairy policies during the United States-Mexico Dairy Alliance. The … Read More
Japan Increases Tariff on U.S. Frozen Beef
The government of Japan says rising imports of frozen beef in the first quarter of the Japanese fiscal year (April-June) have triggered a safeguard, resulting in an automatic increase in Japan’s tariff rate under the WTO on imports of frozen beef from the U.S. Exports of beef and beef products to Japan totaled $1.5 billion last year, making it our … Read More
Perdue Remarks on Bilateral Talks in Mexico
While meeting with Mexican Secretary of Agriculture José Calzada Rovirosa, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today held a teleconference for U.S. media. The two leaders engaged in bilateral talks, including a panel discussion with U.S. and Mexican producers, several agricultural site visits, and a joint press conference – seeking to build on the U.S. and Mexico’s well-developed track record … Read More