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Trade a Popular Topic at American Farm Bureau Federation Convention

Published: Jan 18, 2018

International trade and its effect on American agriculture were major topics at the recent American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in Nashville.

USMEF’s John Hinners greets a team of visitors from Japan and Korea at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in Nashville

Video highlights from the convention are available online.

USMEF, which participated in the event with a booth at the IDEAg Trade Show, fielded many questions about U.S. red meat exports from producers, agricultural industry leaders and foreign visitors.

“There was certainly a lot of interest in what we are doing in markets around the world to promote U.S. beef, pork and lamb and what is at stake when it comes to free trade agreements like NAFTA,” said John Hinners, USMEF assistant vice president for industry relations. “Overall, farmers – both on the livestock side and on the grain side – seem to have a pretty positive outlook for U.S. agriculture, despite some headwinds and challenges, along with uncertainty about trade agreements. They are definitely appreciative of USMEF’s efforts to create global demand for U.S. red meat.”

David Miller of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation shares a U.S. beef and pork export outlook at a luncheon at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention

Past and current USMEF Executive Committee members gather for a photo at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention

To update its members, USMEF partnered with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation to host an informational luncheon during the convention. Hinners and industry leaders from across the country presented an overview of U.S. beef, pork and lamb exports and provided insights on key international markets.

“In 2017 we had very strong red meat exports, we were up about 8 percent on beef on quantity and even more on value, and with pork we were up about 8 percent on both quantity and value,” David Miller, director of research and commodity services for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, told those gathered at the luncheon. “That points to the value of exports and to the importance of exports to the U.S. beef and pork industries.”

Miller noted that re-entry of U.S. beef into China was one of the positive developments in 2017. He had a bright forecast for 2018, but pointed to growing beef and pork supplies as a challenge, along with the murkiness of NAFTA and other free trade agreements.

Wanda Blair, vice president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau, presented luncheon attendees with a look at last year’s USMEF Heartland Team mission to Japan, a top market for both U.S. beef and pork. Blair noted the efforts of USMEF in the Japanese market and the advantages of its long-standing relationships in the market.

“You could see that the Japanese really have respect for the USMEF staff on the ground and the fondness the consumers have for our product,” said Blair. “Those of us on the Heartland Team really had a great experience, and we learned so much about the work that goes into promoting U.S. red meat.”

At USMEF’s trade show booth, visitors included farmers from more than 30 states, as well as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, who made a pass through the trade show before addressing the full convention crowd and introducing President Donald Trump.

International representatives – including Jaehan Kwon, minister counselor of agriculture and food at the Korean Embassy in Washington, and Kiroaki Kojima, who holds a similar position at the Japanese Embassy – also stopped by the booth with teams from their native countries.

“While U.S. farmers wanted to discuss opportunities for their product internationally, be it beef, pork or lamb, or the benefits of red meat exports for their corn and soybeans, international visitors wanted to learn about the U.S. products available in their markets,” said Hinners. “So this convention truly was a great opportunity for USMEF and our members.”