• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • LinkedIn
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • MEMBER LOGIN
U.S. Wheat Associates
  • Our Story
    • About USW
    • Dependable People. Reliable Wheat.
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff Directory
    • Office Locations
  • Market Information
    • Market Information
    • Price Reports
    • Price Charting Tools
    • Supply and Demand
    • Commercial Sales
  • Crop Quality
    • Crop Quality
    • Harvest Reports
    • Hard Red Winter
    • Hard Red Spring
    • Hard White
    • Soft White
    • Soft Red Winter
    • Durum
  • Working With Buyers
    • Working With Buyers
    • Customer Conferences
    • Wheat Classes
    • Wheat Glossary
    • Wheat Grade Factors
    • How to Buy
    • Ask the Expert
    • Resources
  • Who We Represent
    • Who We Represent
    • Board Meetings
    • State Wheat Commissions
    • Partners
    • Trade Activities
  • Policy
    • Policy
    • Trade Negotiations
    • Trade Barriers
    • Innovation and Sustainability
    • Food Security and Assistance
    • Public–Private Partnership
  • News
    • Newsroom
    • Wheat Letter Blog
    • News Releases
    • Videos
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
You are here: Wheat Letter Blog 1
South America, Trade Policy

The Year Ahead in Trade Policy

By Ben Conner, USW Director of Policy

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) prioritizes trade policies that support reducing the cost of getting wheat from U.S. farmers to their customers around the world. A time-tested method for doing that is through trade negotiations and agreements. USW will be looking for a more forward-looking trade negotiating agenda from the United States in the coming year, while holding our ground when we believe certain actions might raise the costs of wheat trade.

The biggest item on the trade policy agenda remains the negotiations to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). There are some notable improvements that can be made to the agreement through a modernization process, but the absolute priority for USW and most of U.S. agriculture is to prevent dissolution of the agreement – a potentially devastating blow to the U.S. farm sector and potentially to their customers in Mexico and Canada.

The agreement with South Korea (KORUS) is also on the agenda, but it is expected that the scope will be much more limited than the NAFTA negotiations. Hopefully the modification process for KORUS will help stave off a concerning push by some to withdraw entirely.

A serious problem to date is the lack of new bilateral trade agreement negotiations with potential trade agreement partners. KORUS was the last completed trade agreement the United States negotiated, and it was first signed in 2007. The United States continues to fall behind in trade negotiations with competitors in the European Union, Canada and elsewhere. Emphasizing this challenge will be an important priority of USW in 2018.

At the World Trade Organization (WTO), there will be continued fallout from the United States’ successful efforts to prevent a severe weakening of WTO rules in agriculture, which had the predictable but unfortunate effect of shutting down virtually all positive negotiations in this forum. In our view, this was a necessary development if the WTO can ever return to being a dynamic forum for trade negotiations. There will also be progress on the dispute settlement cases against some of China’s policies restricting wheat trade.

If nothing else, 2018 is shaping up to be another roller coaster year for trade policy. In addition to weighing in on the high-profile negotiations discussed above, USW will continue to work on a number of issues with individual markets on behalf of wheat farmers and buyers.

January 11, 2018/by actualize
Share this
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
https://www.uswheat.org/wp-content/uploads/USW-Logo-Full-Color.png 0 0 actualize https://www.uswheat.org/wp-content/uploads/USW-Logo-Full-Color.png actualize2018-01-11 12:00:452022-03-28 14:19:46The Year Ahead in Trade Policy

Wheatletter Sidebar

Quick Links

  • Newsroom
  • Wheat Letter Blog
  • News Releases
  • Videos

Wheat Letter Related Blogs

Wheat Industry News

Wheat Industry News

Recent news and highlights from around the U.S. wheat industry. Speaking of Wheat “We agree…
MORE
June 23, 2022
https://www.uswheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PHOTOH1-e1529071940819-1-scaled.jpg 1696 2560 Amanda Spoo https://www.uswheat.org/wp-content/uploads/USW-Logo-Full-Color.png Amanda Spoo2022-06-23 14:42:132022-06-23 14:46:57Wheat Industry News
U.S. wheat farmers share a way of life in North Dakota
Wheat Production and Harvest

How to Follow the U.S. Wheat Harvest by Class and State

The 2022 U.S. wheat harvest is well underway across several states. U.S. Wheat Associates (USW)…
MORE
June 23, 2022
https://www.uswheat.org/wp-content/uploads/sharing-way-of-life-header-2021.jpg 1025 2284 Amanda Spoo https://www.uswheat.org/wp-content/uploads/USW-Logo-Full-Color.png Amanda Spoo2022-06-23 14:20:122022-06-23 14:24:57How to Follow the U.S. Wheat Harvest by Class and State

Stay up to date on wheat industry news!

SUBSCRIBE

Think Farm Export Programs Don’t Matter? Think Again.

GET THE REST OF THE STORY

Our Story

  • About USW
  • Dependable People. Reliable Wheat.
  • Board of Directors
  • Staff Directory
  • Office Locations

Market Information

  • Market Information
  • Price Reports
  • Price Charting Tools
  • Supply and Demand
  • Commercial Sales

Crop Quality

  • Crop Quality
  • Harvest Reports
  • Hard Red Winter
  • Hard Red Spring
  • Hard White
  • Soft White
  • Soft Red Winter
  • Durum

Working with Buyers

  • Working With Buyers
  • Customer Conferences
  • Wheat Classes
  • Wheat Glossary
  • Wheat Grade Factors
  • How to Buy
  • Ask the Expert
  • Resources

Who We Represent

  • Who We Represent
  • Board Meetings
  • State Wheat Commissions
  • Partners
  • Trade Activities

Policy

  • Policy
  • Trade Negotiations
  • Trade Barriers
  • Innovation and Sustainability
  • Food Security and Assistance
  • Public-Private Partnership

News

  • Newsroom
  • Wheat Letter Blog
  • News Releases
  • Videos

DTN Wheat Detail
DTN Corn Detail

2008-2013 U.S. Wheat Associates. All Rights Reserved
Privacy Policy | Non-Discrimination Statement

Scroll to top