President Donald Trump finally delivered his State of the Union address last night in front of a divided Congress. In his speech, Trump mentioned agriculture and the family farmers that drives it. After the speech, ag agencies and companies have received the speech with optimism and are looking forward to what this next year holds.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said, “President Trump provided a unifying, hopeful vision for the nation tonight, highlighting Administration accomplishments and the booming economy, but also expressing optimism that even greater achievements lie ahead. The President’s policies have been beneficial to American agriculture in the short term, but also have laid the foundation for long-term prosperity.”
“Our trade agreements with other nations are getting stronger, and the strategies the President has employed will lead to new and expanded markets for our products. This was a patriotic speech, reminding Americans of the greatness of this country, with even brighter hopes for the future.”
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall applauded President Trump saying, “President Trump has outlined bold priorities in his State of the Union address, and we hope the administration and Congress can move forward in a bipartisan manner to make progress toward the goals that we all share.
“Farmers and ranchers across the country need reforms to our immigration system, and we echo President Trump’s call for Congress to ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to preserve and build on the export gains with our North American neighbors. At the same time, we support bipartisan efforts to rebuild and modernize our nation’s infrastructure, including broadband technology in rural areas.
“Farm Bureau also appreciates President Trump’s message of optimism and unity. The bipartisan passage of the farm bill last year shows that our elected leaders can come together and achieve great things for our country.”
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Jennifer Houston resounded the effort of President Trump actions for a swift Congressional approval of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement:
“We welcome President Trump’s call for quick passage of the USMCA, and we hope that members of both parties in both chambers heed that call. With 96 percent of our potential customers living outside the United States, there’s no policy issue more important to American cattle producers than access to foreign markets.
“The sooner we can secure our access to Mexico and Canada, the sooner we can focus our time, energy, and resources on improving our access to lucrative markets in Asia and Europe.”
