U.S. Agriculture Jumps Back on the Cuba Relations Roller Coaster
U.S.-Cuba relations have been up and down like a roller coaster in the 11 years since the last U.S. wheat export shipment to Cuba. Last week, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) staff traveled to the island nation as part of a U.S. agricultural conference to see and hear firsthand about trade opportunities – despite frosty bilateral […]
Only an Act of Congress Can Open the Cuban Wheat Market
It is a country that imports about 800,000 metric tons of wheat each year, a mere 90 miles from the United States. Yet the Cuban wheat market has long been a source of optimism and frustration for U.S. wheat farmers. With the change in administrations, there is hope for re-engagement with Cuba, but ultimately the […]
Can An Aircraft Dispute Resolution Open Wheat Trade with Europe?
Dispute cases in the World Trade Organization (WTO) take a notoriously long time to resolve, but there seems to be at least an outside chance one of the longest-running disputes affecting wheat trade could be nearing its last chapter. Three months ago, the United States and the European Union paused their respective punitive tariffs to […]
U.S. Farm and Industry Organizations Respond to Dam Breaching Proposal
A coalition of Pacific Northwest (PNW) agricultural and commercial organizations recently responded with serious concerns to a controversial dam breaching proposal that would tear out four dams on the Snake River. The dam breaching proposal, presented by U.S. Representative Mike Simpson of Idaho, aims to restore fish populations on the river while compensating groups affected […]
Complicated Aircraft Dispute Still Poses Risk to U.S.-EU Wheat Trade
Last week U.S. wheat farmers and their customers across the Atlantic welcomed news of a temporary truce in the drawn-out tariff war resulting from unrelated aircraft dispute cases. This week’s published announcements officially suspended 25% retaliatory tariffs on U.S. hard red spring (HRS) imports by the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) for four […]
One Year Later – Phase One Trade Deal with China Producing Results for U.S. Wheat
By Dalton Henry, USW Vice President of Policy Just over a year ago, on Jan. 15, 2020, the U.S.-China “Phase One” agreement was signed, leading to the eventual waiver of China’s retaliatory tariffs against U.S. agricultural products. Those actions opened the door again to the largest wheat consumer in the world after nearly two years […]
U.S. Contests Chinese Programs that Create Burdensome Wheat Stocks
By Dalton Henry, USW Vice President of Policy The dispute between the Chinese and U.S. government over wheat production subsidies continues. Late last month, the U.S. government officially challenged China’s purported compliance with the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute decision that found China spent billions more on agricultural subsidies than their WTO membership allowed. That […]
A Commitment to Reliability in a Time of Uncertainty
By Dalton Henry, USW Vice President of Policy For the better part of a century the United States has been known as the breadbasket of the world. Today, that reputation continues ringing as true as ever at a time when it may be needed most. Reliability and certainty go hand in hand. That is why […]
USMCA Moving Closer to Reality
By Dalton Henry, USW Vice President of Policy The U.S., Mexico, Canada Agreement (USMCA) is moving steadily, if somewhat slowly, to becoming an implemented trade treaty. Mexico’s government first ratified the agreement in June 2019. At the request of the U.S. House of Representatives, the agreement was revised and signed again by all three countries […]
USW Submits Trade Barriers Report with Additional Detail on China and India
By Dalton Henry, USW Vice President of Policy Each year, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) compiles and publishes the National Trade Estimates (NTE) report — a comprehensive report detailing barriers that U.S. exporters, including wheat farmers, face in markets around the world. The first step in compiling the massive report (last year’s […]