News

NFU trade policies diverge from Trump administration

The president of the National Farmers Union says administration trade policies align with his organization’s trade policies with some distinct exceptions.  NFU President Roger Johnson says he supports negotiating changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement, but he tells Brownfield President Trump lacks diplomacy.

“This sort of really bitter and denigrating kind of rhetoric that comes from the president that’s offensive to other countries I don’t think is at all helpful in terms of advancing our trade goals,” Johnson told Brownfield Ag News at the Missouri Farmers Union annual meeting Saturday in Jefferson City.

Northwest Missouri farmer Richard Oswald, the retiring president of the Missouri Farmers Union, says he wasn’t a fan of NAFTA, but he says it’s starting to work for farmers for whom trade vitally important.

“At these prices we can’t afford to lose a market now,” Oswald told Brownfield at the meeting, “because we’re just hair breadth away from $2 corn, not $3 corn, if that happens.”

AUDIO: Roger Johnson (15 min. MP3)

AUDIO: Richard Oswald (12 min. MP3)