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Commodity groups praise passage of FTAs

Now that the Free Trade Agreements have passed the U.S. House and Senate, the President of the American Soybean Association, Alan Kemper of Indiana hopes President Obama will follow through and sign the agreements as quickly as possible. After that Kemper says work can begin to rebuild lost market share.

“International markets are about relationships. We’ve just got to stay in touch,” Kemper tells Brownfield, “Part of the free trade agreements was reduction in tariffs on our products coming in to, particularly, Colombia and Panama, which is huge. So, for agriculture, it’s a large market for us.”

Kemper says ASA can now turn their attention to the writing of the 2012 Farm Bill which has gone from a marathon to a full sprint.

Audio: Alan Kemper, President, ASA (1:20 MP3)

Other commodity and livestock groups are reacting positively to the ratification of the three Free Trade Agreements they all have been pushing for for many years.

The National Pork Producers Council is calling the passage by Congress “one of the greatest victories for the U.S. pork industry.”

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Bill Donald said, “It is a great day for cattlemen all across the country.

National Corn Growers’ Association President Garry Niemeyer, a corn farmer from Auburn, Illinois, says passage ensures the industry “continues to lead the nation in economic growth and international competitiveness.”

US Grains Council Chairman Wendell Shauman says the agreements will help the U.S. regain market share in Panama and Colombia that had been lost when other countries forged similar pacts with those countries.

The U.S. Dairy Export Council and the National Milk Producers Federation welcomed the news. NMPF president Jerry Kozak said, “The export gain for dairy from the Korea FTA in the first few years after implementation will be approximately $380 million per year, on average, and the gains from the Colombia and Panama FTAs will add another $50 million annually.”

 ~Brownfield team members contributed to this report