Trade negotiators are gearing
up for the next round of talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement in
Canada. Some industry stakeholders are frustrated because they feel not enough
progress has been made so far. Mike Johanns, a former Ag Secretary, says, “So
far, the negotiations really haven’t gone anywhere.” There are stakeholders in
agriculture who wonder if the president really understands how important NAFTA
is to the rural community, but Johanns is one who feels the president now
understands just how vital it is. “My take is the president has certainly come
to realize just how important NAFTA is in parts of the country that supported
him in his run for office,” Johanns says. “The key issue for the president is
going to be how he can come up with something that saves face and doesn’t blow
this thing up.” Johanns, also a former U.S. Senator, says pulling out of NAFTA
could be devastating for American agriculture. “In the real world, this is so
very important to the average farmer or rancher that’s out there just trying to
make a living,” he says. “There’s a good story to tell, we just need more
people out there telling it.”
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