Rural Issue

Farmers for Free trade gets AFBF support

The American Farm Bureau has joined the Farmers for Free Trade campaign and wants other ag groups and communities to do the same. Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall says the U.S. needs to look forward where trade is concerned, “To talk about how important this foreign trade is to our economies and our farmers and ranchers and keeping rural America healthy.” Former Indiana U.S. Senator Dick Lugar says Americans need to understand the importance of foreign ag trade, “We’ve had a good harvest on Lugar Farm this year. Our soybeans did well but I’ve got most of them stored because the price is NOT right. And, until we get over this problem of NAFTA having problems, we need to extoll the virtues of NAFTA.” Lugar also told reporters the U.S. should get back into the TPP, the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement.

Lugar is co-chair of Farmers for Free Trade with former Senator Max Baucus of Montana who says it’s time to counter anti-trade messages, “Those anti-trade messages are just flat, simply WRONG. We DO need trade. We need more trade, not less.”

The board chairman of Farmers for Free Trade, Sara Lilygren, says their goal is to have local and state leaders in all 50 states.