News

McKinney speaks to Farm Bureau members on trade

The USDA Under Secretary for Trade & Foreign Agricultural Affairs says the Trump administration is exploring ways to mitigate farmers’ lost market share caused by trade disputes.

USDA Under Secretary Ted McKinney tells Brownfield the Trump administration stands firm on its commitment to supporting farmers harmed during trade negotiations.  “We know that they are the tip of this spear and we’ll not let the U.S. farmer and rancher be the victim of this necessary, I think, trade dispute.”

He says it’s important for farmers to remain patient while the U.S. works to rightsize trade negotiations with China. The White House is currently exploring how to provide relief to farmers in the interim.  “We’re working on a lot of mitigation plans, the Commodity Credit Corporation comes up and would be a logical one if that were chosen, but we have not settled on what we’ll use.  It might vary across different commodities needs.”

Fifteen state farm bureaus are in Michigan this week, including Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa, to discuss pressing commodity issues and policy.

AUDIO: Under Secretary Ted McKinney’s interview with press during the Joint National Commodity Conference in Grand Rapids

AUDIO: Under Secretary Ted McKinney’s comments to farm bureau members