Experts from the agricultural world took the stage at the U.S. Grain Council’s (USGC) Annual Meeting this month to discuss trade policy and grain markets among other topics.
Among the experts were Ambassador Darci Vetter, chief agricultural negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative, and Charlie Cook, a political analyst and publisher of The Cook Political Report. A common theme between the two talks was how the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will be affected by the upcoming election and overall political scene this year. Despite worries about the effect, both want TPP passed in Congress soon.
“The council supports the TPP agreement because it would enhance market access for U.S. grains and co-products, address non-tariff trade barriers and be the first trade agreement to include provisions related to biotechnology,” USGC Chairman Alan Tiemann said. “TPP will set the rules of the road for grain exports for decades to come, so we know it’s critical to capturing emerging export opportunities — and to maintaining the United States’ competitiveness — in the global grain trade.”
The meeting’s general session ended with a discussion on the farm market in Argentina and the work of MAIZALL, the international maize alliance. Included in the panel discussion were Alberto Morelli, the first vice president of MAIZALL; executive director of MAIZAR Martin Fraguio; and Anibal Ivancich, president of MAIZAR.
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