Tag Archives: trade

Hi, I’m Alex McGregor of The McGregor Company, a seventy- year old family fertilizer and crop protection enterprise, and of McGregor Land and Livestock, a ranch where we have raised wheat and livestock since pioneer days. (Editor’s note: Alex McGregor is a longtime advocate of agriculture in Eastern Washington. He served as president of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers ... Read More »

While U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) understand and support the need to enforce international trade rules, we are very concerned about the implications of the Trump Administration’s decision yesterday to impose more than $60 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. We agree that unfair ... Read More »

By Gary Bailey Washington Grain Commission Chairman, USW Director and a wheat farmer from St. John, Wash. As Washington Grain Commissioners, trade has consumed a great deal of our time this past year. Relationships with our international partners are critical to the survival of our trade with countries such as Japan. Most of us have seen the proposed effects on ... Read More »

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and 33 state wheat organizations have expressed hope in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer that the administration will immediately prioritize accession to TPP to save the valuable Japanese market for U.S. wheat farmers. “Once TPP is ratified, U.S. wheat exports to Japan will be at serious risk,” ... Read More »

On March 01, 2018, the U.S. Senate confirmed Gregg Doud to be chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). Trade is a top priority for U.S. wheat farmers, and this nomination is welcome news for our growers. “We believe the confirmation of Gregg Doud will bring a needed agriculture voice to USTR’s political leadership,” ... Read More »

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) are extremely disappointed in the decision announced today to impose sweeping tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum. We have repeatedly warned that the risks of retaliation and the precedent set by such a policy have serious potential consequences for agriculture. It is dismaying that the voices of ... Read More »

TPP Withdrawal Threatens the Stability of the U.S. Agriculture Industry When President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the agricultural industry warned that the consequences could be dire for our country’s farmers. That warning appears to be coming true, as the remaining 11 TPP countries are close to formalizing the deal without the U.S., threatening the ... Read More »

From DTN Agricultural groups started the White House’s infrastructure and budget week on Monday by focusing on—trade. Farm groups coming together to call themselves the Asia-Pacific Working Group, which is parts of the U.S. Food and Agriculture Dialogue for Trade, sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer as the Asia-Pacific Working Group jumped on comments from President Donald ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The Washington State Department of Agriculture is trying to determine the impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership proceeding without the U.S. “We’re still figuring out what that impact is, and how quickly those competitive disadvantages will emerge,” said Derek Sandison, WSDA director. “How much time do we have to find a solution before we actually are having ... Read More »

From the Capital Press President Donald Trump needs to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, an agriculture policy expert says. The president made an off-the-cuff remark when speaking with world leaders at the Davos, Switzerland, economic summit that he’d be willing to take another look at the deal, but it would have to be renegotiated and improved considerably for the ... Read More »