Mr. Bolsonaro Goes to Washington
By Ben Conner, USW Vice President of Policy Two weeks ago, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro visited President Trump in Washington, D.C., to help forge closer ties between the two largest countries in the Western Hemisphere. The joint statement published at the end of the visit highlighted several areas for cooperation and expanded commerce. One of […]
If Only This Were an April Fools’ Day Hoax
In much of the Western World, on April 1 people go sometimes to great lengths to create mostly harmless “April Fools’ Day” hoaxes. There are many theories about how this odd “celebration” came to be, including an association with the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, […]
An In-Depth Look at the WTO Panel Report on China’s Grain Subsidies
By Ben Conner, USW Vice President of Policy On February 19, 2019, the World Trade Organization (WTO) released the final report of the panel in the U.S. case alleging that China has not complied with its domestic support commitments on wheat and rice. While the panel disagreed with a few arguments, it agreed with the […]
Fighting for Fairness Through the Rules-Based Trading System
On Feb. 15, 2019, the United States submitted a counter notification, co-sponsored by Canada, in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on Agriculture on India’s market price support for pulse crops – based on publicly available information. With this counter notification, the U.S. government continues to use the rules-based trading system established by the WTO as […]
Educating Government Leaders About the U.S. Wheat Value Chain
U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is looking forward to joining 22 U.S. wheat production, handling, milling and food processing organizations at an event in Washington, D.C., Feb. 14, 2019, to educate U.S. government officials about our industry. The event is sponsored by the National Wheat Foundation with a goal to demonstrate the breadth and influence of […]
USW Shares Trade Opportunities with a Post-Brexit United Kingdom
By Ben Conner, USW Vice President of Policy Last week, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) submitted comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on negotiating objectives for a potential trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom (UK). The UK has been part of the European Union (EU) since before the creation […]
2019 Trade Policy Outlook
By Ben Conner, USW Vice President of Policy If there is anything we learned from 2018, it is that the trade policy landscape is unpredictable. While many upcoming or ongoing issues are known, there are a range of possible outcomes within each, some of which could drastically alter the trade landscape in the future. Let […]
Farm Bill Renews Export Market Development Partnership with the Federal Government
U.S. farmers consistently produce enough wheat to meet domestic demand and still have about half of their crop available to overseas customers year. They support U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) with a portion of 17 state checkoff programs to build and maintain overseas demand. In turn that support qualifies USW to apply for program funding appropriated […]
To Ag or Not to Ag*
By Ben Conner, USW Vice President of Policy. To Ag. That is obviously the answer. The question is if the trade negotiations between the United States and the European Union should include agriculture at all. We already covered that in August after the two governments agreed to begin negotiations. This week, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) […]
Administration Help Needed to Protect U.S. Wheat Exports to Japan
Following is a transcript of oral testimony by U.S. Wheat Associates President Vince Peterson at a public hearing held Dec. 10, 2018, by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on potential trade negotiations with Japan. “Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of U.S. wheat farmers about trade negotiations with Japan.“Our mission is to […]
