New Year Outlook Pt 2
I’m Bob Larson. Every year, we have highlights and lowlights, but 2019, in the minds of some, ended on a high note for agriculture heading into 2020.
Washington Farm Bureau CEO John Stuhlmiller says things appear to finally be coming together on the trade front …
STUHLMILLER … “Clearly the highlight is on the trade side. So, I kind of look at it as you can lump and split and whatever, but there’s kind of three things that are critical to agriculture, a whole lot of other stuff too, but the big three are a reasonable regulatory environment, market stability, and labor supply, steady labor supply.”
And those big three, Stuhlmiller says ended with some real plusses …
STUHLMILLER … “So, we saw big gains in those. We saw movement by EPA to help moderate, and it’s still moving forward, but help moderate our water quality standards to make them more attainable, less unattainable as the case may be, which helps agriculture.”
The big thing for ag, Stuhlmiller says seems to be market stability …
STUHLMILLER … “Even if you don’t trade, the markets are driven, what you get for local produce is also driven by what the world markets are. And so, having USMCA, the United States-Mexico-Canada-Agreement, moves through the House.
That was a big deal. The Senate appears, you know, if they don’t get sidetracked by “certain things.” So, that’s excellent and that’s a big deal for us.”
Tune in tomorrow to hear more about those positive signals coming from the trade side.
