Ag Leaders Push Global Trade Expansion

At the end of a week that saw China send mixed signals on agriculture trade, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said the time has come for federal lawmakers to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Those in favor of the TPP say it is important for the U.S. to move quickly, so as not to allow China to take the lead on trade in Southeast Asia. This week, China agreed to re-open beef imports from the United States and made an agreement with Canada to import more canola, while also moving forward with an anti-dumping case against U.S. distillers grains. "When we open trade, we spur innovation," said Vilsack, who was the keynote speaker at the National Agriculture State Departments of Agriculture luncheon in Omaha on Friday. "TPP allows us a process to reduce barriers, an opportunity to expand agriculture trade. By the most conservative estimate from the Farm Bureau, TPP would mean about $5 billion additional sales of agriculture products, and about $4 billion of additional income for farmers.