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USMEF on successes and trade obstacles

The U.S. Meat Export Federation opened its board meeting Wednesday in Washington, D.C. with optimism about the current export market but concerns over continued obstacles and trade barriers, such as the still-pending FTA agreements.

USMEF Chairman Keith Miller, a producer in Kansas, says premiums from red meat exports are helping offset record-high production costs.

“Think about how you would pay for the four dollar a gallon diesel fuel that I have been buying lately. The seven hundred dollar anhydrous ammonia I just paid the bill for last week or that seven dollar corn to feed to the livestock that we have,” says Miller.

Montana Senator Max Baucus says the pending FTAs with Korea, Colombia and Panama would increase U.S. exports by more than 12 Billion dollars and U.S. Gross Domestic Product by more than 15 Billion.

“These three FTAs are being readied for congressional approval. We are holding hearings, we are drafting implementing legislation-we are not there yet. Our success is not final,” says Baucus.

Vilsack says the record breaking exports are having a huge impact.

“So when you see a dramatic increase in the number of ag exports and you see an increase in private sector job growth, and you see a growing economy I think it’s not much of a stretch to make a link that ag is helping the country move its way out of the deep recession it was in,” Vilsack says.

Vilsack says the $75 Billion in ag exports in the first half of this fiscal year is a record-breaker and that success of U.S. producers must and will continue.