KCGA Thanks Senator Moran for Making NAFTA a Priority Issue

11-21-17

Last week, Senator Jerry Moran wrote an open letter to agriculture organizations voicing his concern about the possibility of a withdrawal from NAFTA, asking farm organizations to remain active on the issue. The Kansas Corn Growers Association sent a letter to the Senator today, thanking him for making NAFTA and trade priority issues and outlining efforts KCGA and NCGA are undertaking.

The letter from KCGA states:

“We assure you that Kansas Corn shares your concerns. NAFTA and trade are also top issues for KCGA and the National Corn Growers Association.  A withdrawal from NAFTA would be devastating to our nation’s economy, especially the agricultural economy. We are working closely with NCGA on evolving strategies to aggressively defend NAFTA.

While the President has told farmers not to worry, it is our view that damage is already being done. Kansas Corn began taking concrete actions early this year, when we led a trade team to Mexico, coordinated with the Kansas Department of Agriculture and Kansas Department of Commerce. Our visit to Mexico in May led to a reciprocating visit from top Mexican buyers to Kansas in August. In fact, we hosted three Mexican trade teams this summer. We not only discussed building trade with Mexico, we discussed the outlook for trade and the implications of the NAFTA renegotiation. Kansas Corn and our Mexican trading partners share concern on this issue. Mexico is the #1 export buyer of U.S. corn, and the country also represents important existing and potential markets for DDGS and ethanol.

…As you know, our agriculture sector is already reeling from low commodity prices. Withdrawing from NAFTA would be devastating to agriculture and to the economy. Those impacts are deeply felt in Kansas where 45 percent of our economy comes from agriculture.”

See Senator Moran’s open letter here

See KCGA’s letter to Senator Moran here

Moran and Roberts Sign BiPartisan Letter Seeking Economic Analysis of NAFTA Changes
Additionally, Senator Moran and Senator Pat Roberts this week signed a bipartisan letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross asking the administration to conduct a robust economic analysis to evaluate how any changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would affect changes to the nation’s crop and livestock sectors.

“It is imperative that before any changes are made to NAFTA, or any other free trade agreement, that economic analysis that illustrates the impact on the full supply chain of the industries involved be shared. As such, we request an economic analysis that examines and evaluates the impacts to crop and livestock sectors as a result of any change to NAFTA,” the senators wrote.