Trade is a Two Way Street

I have always said I am a proud producer of the food that we all need. When I say the food we all need, I mean we as in a global context. I also must admit that while I have always said it, I am not sure I always had a good grasp on what that meant. To be honest, I am still not sure I have a great grasp on feeding the world, but I know it is critical to my way of life.

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of serving on a panel discussion of the North America Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA. I was on the panel representing farmers and ranchers along with a couple of trade experts and the Canadian Consul General from Denver. It was humbling to be on the same panel with people who live, breath and eat trade. I studied the issue and tried to bring as much knowledge as I could but to be honest, my message was simple.

Agriculture relies on trade. We have the best, most productive farms and ranches in the world and we simply produce more food and fiber than we need in the United States. That is a fact that I am very proud of. We don’t have the land mass some of our competitors do but we do possess the technology and the know how to produce more with less.

Kansas is increasingly urban, with more and more industry other than ag and that is all good. However, agriculture is still the backbone of our state. I would argue that as our farmers and ranchers go, so goes main street, even in our larger cities. I know this is true in our smaller communities. When the ag community is hurting so are the merchants on main street. Funny how international trade has a hand in how successful our local grocer or car dealer do.

I often hear people lament about world events and how they would prefer to isolate ourselves. I am here to tell you that isolation will never work. For one thing, no matter how hard we try to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world, the rest of the world will find us. Beyond that, we need trade to not only survive but to thrive economically. The rest of the world craves our beef, needs our soybeans and values our corn. No matter what you hear, agricultural products from the United States are highly valued by the rest of the world.

I know we have heard about different countries imposing trade sanctions on us because of different things or even refusing our grain because we use gmo crops. Let me assure you that what you are hearing is political noise and not grumblings about our quality. Our grains and meat are the highest quality, safest in the world. The rest of the world needs and wants what we produce, we just need to get the politicians out of the way.

We must also realize that trade is a two-way street and it needs to be beneficial for both parties. It is necessary for us to import some of our food. We all enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables in the winter and crops that cannot be grown in the United States. In other cases, other countries do have an advantage when it comes to producing a commodity or a finished product. We have become a world that is interdependent on each other and that is OK.

That is why we need to make sure that our elected officials understand just how vital trade is to our bottom line and, in the end, our survival. We simply cannot jeopardize our trade agreements to make a political point. I do think that message is beginning to get through, but we must remain vigilant and continue to voice our concerns. The one thing I took away from talking to the Canadian Consul General was that we can be replaced. The United States is their preferred trading partners and they value our relationship. However, if we think they cannot get what they need from other trading partners, we are sadly mistaken. Once those ties are broken and they establish other suppliers, it will be hard if not impossible for us to regain those markets.

I don’t mean to be doom and gloom and if you made me guess at what will happen my best guess is that we will continue our relationship with new trade agreements. We do have some leverage when it comes to a stable supply of high quality ag products. This issue is one that does require our full attention and one that should be in the forefront of every farmer and rancher’s conscience. It is time for us to let everyone we can know how important international trade is to agriculture and just how important agriculture is to the economic health of our communities, states and even our great nation. We are good at what we do, and the world needs us.