Nebraska Farm Bureau Reaction to Agricultural Assistance Package
LINCOLN, NEB. – “We appreciate President Trump and Secretary Perdue recognizing the challenges faced by U.S. farmers as a result of the administration’s ongoing trade disputes with some of our major trading partners. Nebraska farmers have been hard hit by flooding, retaliatory tariffs and a tremendous downturn in the agricultural economy. Today’s announcement of a trade assistance package could help many farmers through this difficult time in agriculture.”
“Farmers would rather have open markets. Stable, predictable, transparent, international trade, that provides the agricultural economy with certainty and a clear path to growth, is much more preferable. In 2017 Nebraska sold $979 million of major agriculture commodities to Canada and $889 million to Mexico. We need congressional approval of the United State-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). In 2017 Nebraska sold $937 million of Nebraska commodities to China. We need good outcomes to current negotiations with China, Japan, and the European Union. Canada, Mexico, and China are three countries critical to boosting Nebraska agriculture and it’s economic growth. This is the long-term solution farmers want to see.”
The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service and advocacy efforts. More than 61,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit www.nefb.org.