USDA's Perdue Touts Regulation Actions by Administration as Key

The focus by the Trump administration on removing onerous regulations addresses one of farmers' top concerns, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue said in opening remarks at USDA's Outlook Forum near Washington, DC. The top three concerns that farmers related to Perdue as he has toured parts of the country were regulation, trade and a reliable and legal workforce.Perdue focused attention on regulation, noting the Trump administration was going after the "vermin of over-burdensome regulation." On trade, he acknowledged the uncertainty around the NAFTA 2.0 negotiations, but assured the crowd President Donald Trump will "strike the best deal for the American economy, and that includes agriculture." On the reliable and legal workforce issue, Perdue called for a revamp of the H2A program, calling it "cumbersome, convoluted" and said "frankly, it doesn't work for producers."