It has been a couple of weeks since the US has taken steps to revise the NAFTA agreement and a new article shows that farmers seem to like the new agreement. Craig Morris, vice president of marketing for the National Pork Board, said, “Mexico is an unbelievably important market to the United States” and people are hopeful that the agreement will help restore some of the agricultural market and even out the steel market. Many farmers say that “the original agreement was a very good deal for pork since there were zero tariffs between Canada and Mexico.” Others hope that the agreement will trigger other global trade to strike a deal with China, and show that the United States is ready to negotiate.
Not just livestock farmers are starting to see benefits. Kevin Scott, a soybean farmer in South Dakota and director for the American Soybean Association said, “Mexico is the number two destination for U.S soybeans so, the new agreement is critical.” showing his approval for the new NAFTA agreement and his hopes for improvement of the market.
The positive increase that the NAFTA agreement will bring to grain market has many farmers thinking that it will help the consumer market as well. With the exporting and importing of more goods, prices for these things should see a steady decrease which may help lower prices on things like gas, produce, steel etc. With the new agreements, farmers are having a boost in confidence and helped reduce trading concerns with China. For now, most think it is a good step towards bringing more trade deals and bringing more partners to the table for future trade relationships.