Pushing Free Trade

 Pushing Free Trade. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

Free trade. It has been around as long as humans practically. I have something you want and you have something I want. Pretty simple concept. But…and that is a big 3 letter word. Free trade allows local farmers another market in which to sell their products and allows consumers the opportunity to enjoy foods from around the world. Once again the word “but” crops up. While the concept is simple there are many circumstances that prevent free trade from happening. Right now the U.S. is working on many FTA’s or free trade agreements with numerous countries on many products. A group of former U.S. Ag Secretaries have put their signatures on a letter in support of the Korean Free Trade Agreement. In a letter to members of Congress, Bob Bergland, John Block, Mike Espy, Dan Glickman, Mike Johanns, John Knebel,

Ed Schafer and Clayton Yeutter urged lawmakers to vote to approve the trade pact’s enabling legislation, saying, “it is imperative that the KORUS FTA be implemented as soon as possible.

Columbia is another area where trade has been halted and again former Ag Secretary, now Senator Mike Johanns is speaking out to members of Congress.

JOHANNS: This is a golden opportunity for the President to send a signal that is words do have meaning and to show that we can in fact work together in a bi-partisan way. He could submit the Columbia Free Trade Agreement to Congress for approval right today and send an enormously powerful message that when he says pursue, he means action, not stall.

Johanns says the nation's producers will benefit from final approval of the trade deal.

JOHANNS: Our farmers and our ranchers would benefit from the elimination of tariffs on more than 77% of agricultural goods. American workers will see more of their products sold as 76% of Columbian tariffs on our industrial goods are eliminated; wiped out immediately.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.