Agricultural News
Beef Industry's Future Hinges on International Trade's Continued Success, Says NCBA's Craig Uden
Thu, 12 Oct 2017 11:37:59 CDT
National Cattlemen's Beef Association President and Nebraska cattle producer Craig Uden, took a moment earlier this week at the Texas Cattle Feeders Association to speak with Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays about a variety of issues that NCBA is currently tackling in Washington, D.C. As US beef markets have performed with exceptional strength this year, Uden says trade policy has become a top concern for the industry, which would like to see the current momentum in markets continue. This is especially true, with recent speculation that the White House may completely pull the US out of existing trade deals such as NAFTA and KORUS, on which the entire ag industry is becoming increasingly more dependent.
"When President Trump came out and talked about just dropping the free-trade agreement with Korea, we pushed back pretty hard," Uden said. "We can't afford to lose and step back on Korea. That's become our second largest trading partner with about $1 billion worth of trade."
And while, NCBA continues to fight to protect access to these developed markets, Uden says the meat industry is also working to nurture the growth of its newest customer - China. Although, it has been less than a year since the Chinese market officially opened its doors to US beef imports, after lifting its 13-year ban, progress has been admittedly slow. But, Uden contends that US imports are beginning to get traction there. He insists this will be very important in the years to come - arguing that any advancement in growing the industry, will be reliant on the continued success of international trade
"We don't want to go backwards. We want to maintain and continue to see growth in exports," he said, emphasizing the importance of preserving existing trade treaties and seeking new bilateral agreements as well. "We've greatly benefitted from trade this year and part of that is - we've had the available supply of quality that some of the other competing countries have not. But, as they come back on board, if we get our hands tied, then that's a bigger challenge for us to stay in the ball game."
Listen to NCBA President Craig Uden and Ron Hays discuss the status of ongoing US trade negotiations and why international trade is so significant to the US beef industry's success, on today's Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...
