After President Trump announced he would not implement tariffs against Mexico over immigration concerns, many in the Ag community, specifically the American Farm Bureau Federation breathed a sign of relief.  AFBF executive vice president Dale Moore said they are grateful a tariff fight was averted.  Moore said the deal announced by President Trump renews efforts to ratify USMCA, which he said will boost farm trade.

 

"Our anticipation is, 'yes,' there will be increased trade with these tariff issues out of the way…but it's very important for us to keep moving forward, to get this USMCA up, in front of Congress, and get it approved, and get that agreement ratified.”

 

Moore also echoed the comments made by Missouri Senator Roy Blunt that that Trump’s Mexico migrant deal could send a message to China to bargain with the United States in good faith.

 

"I am hoping and praying we'll see some action, in terms of folks coming back to the negotiating table; we've not gotten any word on that, yet. But certainly, our hope is that, perhaps, if China's watching this and saying, 'yes, let's get back to the table and get this sorted out, so we can get back to whatever the next version of normal is…and I’m not sure there is such a thing as normal these days; but, hoping and praying that we get China back to the table, soon.”

 

President Trump and China’s Xi Jinping could meet late this month on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Japan.

 

 

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