Exports and Trade
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. With a trade imbalance favoring ag imports over ag exports the past few years, the coming months will answer a lot of questions for farmers and ranchers.
Sam Keiffer, American Farm Bureau Federation Vice President of Public Policy, says we all know American agriculture is the most efficient so the opportunity for us is to export …
KEIFFER … “The good news is the volume of our agricultural exports hasn’t really changed a whole lot. What has changed is the value of those exports. When commodity prices fall, that’s when we significantly saw the bifurcation of imports versus exports when it comes to value.”
But then, Keiffer says there’s at least one other looming question …
KEIFFER … “Certainly, with the incoming administration and the ongoing discussions about tariffs, the question is how will that be implemented? Will it be a scalpel or will it be a hammer?”
So, Keiffer says that is kind of a wait and see …
KEIFFER … “Where we fall in that pendulum will largely have a deciding factor in the trade imbalance. But the good news is we haven’t lost a whole lot of ground on the volume side, but we need to get those prices up. And how do we do that? By exporting.”
Again, that’s American Farm Bureau Vice President Sam Keiffer.
