Agricultural News
Farmers Union President Roger Johnson Critical of Trump's Apathy Towards Ag Industry's Priorities
Wed, 03 May 2017 12:28:17 CDT
President of the National Farmers Union Roger Johnson, a third-generation family farmer from Turtle Lake, N.D., took a moment to speak with Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays, about his opinion regarding the Trump administration during its first 100 days. Johnson, though agreeable to some of the positions taken by President Trump, was somewhat critical of the President's tactics demonstrated so far and the fact that it has taken so long to assemble his cabinet, citing Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue's near 100-day confirmation process. You can hear that entire conversation by clicking or tapping the LISTEN BAR below at the bottom of this story.
"I think everyone in this city, us included, would have preferred that we had Secretary Perdue in place for those same 100 days," Johnson said disparagingly, pointing to diplomatic tensions with Mexico as an example. "Unfortunately, there's a lot of stuff that got said and done that maybe would have got done differently had he been at the table with the President."
On one hand, Johnson says he would support a renegotiation of trade treaties like the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), but on the other, he says he is not in favor for the way Trump has handled the situation this far.
"We would agree with the President that focusing on the trade deficit is an important objective and we would even agree that you ought to be renegotiating a bunch of these agreements," Johnson said. "But, we would part company in terms of how you go about doing it. I don't understand the strategy between deeply offending one of your customers before you sit down and renegotiate a deal with them."
Had a team of knowledgeable advisors been put in place early on, Johnson feels circumstances like these could have been averted. He worries that now, several months into the new administration's term with Agriculture Secretary Perdue just now taking office, will have a lot on his plate.
On a positive note though, he says, he believes Trump has done well in calling for a repeal of the Waters of the US rule, and believes also there is an optimistic outlook for Farm Bill negotiations, adding that the biggest priority lies in making sure there are safety net programs that work.
"I feel pretty good where we're at with the Farm Bill right now," he said. "I think we got a real shot at getting this one done on time. If for no other reason than the big political reason, is there's an awful lot of economic pain in rural America right now."
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