Agricultural News
NCBA's Fogelsong and Other Farm Group Leaders Say Its Time to Get Free Trade Deals Ratified
Tue, 04 May 2010 4:22:58 CDT
Steve Fogelsong of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association was one of several farm group leaders who appeared at the National Press Club in Washington midday Monday, calling on the White House and Congress to 'stop dragging their feet' and pass the languishing Colombia, Panama and South Korea free trade agreements.
Despite mid-term elections quickly approaching and Democrats trying to protect their labor union support, farm leaders have 'sharpened' their argument for the 3-FTAs. Fogelsong says that he is especially anxious to see action on the deal negotiated with South Korea, as a in tariffs with that national could put dollars in the pockets of cattle producers.
Besides the trade deals, we also talked about several other subjects with Fogelsong, the current President of the NCBA and a cattle producer from Illinois. Fogelsong says that the time has come for ethanol to be weaned from the government subsidies that has been offered for 30 years. NCBA is one of several livestock groups that are calling for ethanol tax breaks not to be renewed here in 2010.
Steve Fogelsong says that he likes the idea of Animal ID being controlled more by the states- coupled with Federal oversight to help get information moving smoothly between states.
And we talked about the process of NCBA remaking itself with the governance issues that continue to be worked on by members of the NCBA and will be talked about this coming July in Denver at their mid year meeting. What makes these discussions of interest beyond NCBA is the relationship that the groups has with the Beef Checkoff- and Fogelsong thinks that they will be able to come to a point where everyone will be comfortable with the relationship between the NCBA and the Beef Board and State Beef Councils that make up the Federation of Beef Councils.
Click on the Listen Bar below to hear our conversation with Steve Fogelsong of the NCBA on these issues.
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