National Corn Growers Association

Ag Groups Applaud Nomination of Julie Callahan as USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 22:02:09 GMT

President Donald Trump nominated Julie Callahan on July 17 to be the chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), a move celebrated by many agricultural organizations.

The USTR chief agricultural negotiator plays a critical role, representing the interests of America’s farmers and ranchers and the U.S. government in trade talks with foreign nations, working to reduce trade barriers, opening new markets, and eliminating unfair trade practices.

“America’s pork producers congratulate and look forward to continuing to engage with U.S. Trade Representative Chief Agricultural Negotiator nominee Julie Callahan,” says National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) CEO Bryan Humphreys. “Exceptionally familiar with agriculture and science-based standards, Julie has also been actively engaged with trade negotiations in the Trump administration and is in a unique position to advocate for U.S. agriculture on the world’s stage.”

Callahan has experience working in the trenches at USTR negotiating on behalf of U.S. agriculture. She currently serves as the assistant U.S. trade representative for agricultural affairs and commodity policy.

“At this especially critical time for agricultural trade, President Trump has tapped a proven leader who is a tireless advocate for U.S. farmers, ranchers, and all of U.S. agriculture,” says Dan Halstrom, U.S. Meat Export Federation president and CEO.”

He highlights her knowledge, experience and dedication to this position.

“She will explore creative solutions to expand market access for meat and poultry and we also look forward to working with her in removing non-tariff barriers to trade,” says Julie Anna Potts, president and CEO of the Meat Institute. “We urge her swift confirmation in the Senate.”

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says Callahan understands how important international partnerships are to agriculture and the critical role of strong export markets to strengthen the U.S. farm economy.

“As someone who has come through the ranks and worked directly on trade agreements, including reducing both technical barriers and tariffs, Julie will hit the ground running,” Duvall says. “Her previous experience in the Foreign Ag Service at USDA and also at FDA provide important perspective to inform her work to help resolve challenging issues on the trade front.”

The nomination comes about a week after 42 agricultural organizations sent a letter to President Trump encouraging him to move quickly on nominating someone for the role.

“Corn grower leaders have been very vocal in recent weeks about the need to fill this important position, as the chief ag negotiator plays a critical role in prioritizing agriculture issues in ongoing trade negotiations,” says Illinois corn grower and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) president Kenneth Hartman Jr. “We are thrilled to see the president listened and chose someone of this caliber to represent the interests of America’s farmers.”

With nearly 20 years of experience working on international issues and trade at a variety of agencies, including USTR, the Food and Drug Administration and the USDA, Callahan’s experience will help American agriculture given ongoing reciprocal trade negotiations, NPPC shared.

USMCA Passage Encouraged by 960+ Ag, Food Associations and Companies

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:48:03 GMT

A collation of U.S. food and agriculture associations and companies addressed a letter to Congress seeking quick ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The letter was sent on June 11 by more than 960 groups representing the U.S. food and agriculture value chain at the national, state and local.

An excerpt of the letter says:

“Over the last 25 years, U.S. food and agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico have more than quadrupled under NAFTA – growing from $9 billion in 1993 to nearly $40 billion in 2018. NAFTA has significantly helped create a reliable, high-quality supply of food products for U.S. consumers, while supporting more than 900,000 American jobs in food and agriculture and related sectors of the economy. USMCA builds on the success of the NAFTA agreement, and will ultimately lead to freer markets and fairer trade. This modernized trade agreement makes improvements to further enhance U.S. food and agricultural exports to our neighbors and would deliver an additional $2.2 billion in U.S. economic activity.”

The letter was signed by a number of national groups representing farmers and ranchers, including:

American Farm Bureau Federation
American Soybean Association
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
National Cotton Council
National Corn Growers Association
National Milk Producers Federation
National Pork Producers Council
National Sorghum Producers

Also signing the letter were food processing companies, along with state and local agriculture associations.

Discussions in Congress

A hearing was held by the House Agriculture Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee the same day the letter was sent. The subcommittee was reviewing the state of U.S. agricultural products in international markets and following the hearing Subcommittee Ranking Member David Rouzer (R-NC) and Committee Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) both expressed the importance of getting USMCA passed .

“USMCA is a no-brainer for American agriculture. If the International Trade Commission’s (ITC) estimated $2.2 billion increase in ag exports doesn’t convince my colleagues, then all they need to do is talk to a local farmer or rancher. American producers have made it clear: the best thing we can do for our lagging agriculture economy is get this deal done. I urge my colleagues on the committee to join me in calling for Speaker Pelosi to bring USMCA to a vote in the House as soon as possible,” says Rep. Rouzer.

“Rather than spew platitudes about the importance of free trade to American agriculture, it’s time for the House Democratic Leadership to get serious about the clear win that sits before them – the USMCA agreement. Today’s hearing further underscored that ratifying USMCA is critically important to America’s farmers, ranchers, and dairymen. With the ITC report in hand, Speaker Pelosi should bring USMCA up for a vote as quickly as possible,” says Rep. Conaway.

Dairy Voicing Concerns

The dairy industry had already pushed for swift passage of USMCA just a day prior , on June 10, when three national dairy groups, including the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), sent a similar letter to members of the House of Representatives. IDFA released a statement regarding the latest letter expressing the importance of USMCA because of fixes to current trade policies with Canada and Mexico.

“USMCA meets the U.S. dairy industry’s top priorities to ensure a more level playing field, including preserving duty-free market access to Mexico, eliminating the unfair Canadian Class 7 pricing program and increasing market access to the Canadian market,” says Michael Dykes, DVM, president and CEO of IDFA. “The U.S. dairy industry, which supports more than 3 million jobs in the United States and pumps $620 billion into the U.S. economy, is making a strong appeal to Congress to vote to ratify this important trade deal. USMCA will ensure that our dairy industry grows valuable market share and continues to be viewed by our North American customers as a reliable supplier.”

USMCA is currently awaiting ratification from both the House and Senate. Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS) tells Farm Journal that ideally Congress will be wrapped up by August with USMCA.

For more on USMCA read the following articles:

Ag Groups Respond to China Tariff Action

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:10:51 GMT

Here’s a sampling of comments from agricultural trade groups regarding China’s proposed plan to impose $50 billion on U.S. imports.

National Corn Growers Association (NCGA)

“There are no winners in a trade war, only casualties. As trade tensions continue to mount with China, the expanded list of tariffs on food and agriculture exports are making America’s farmers the first casualties.”

“Our corn farmers have worked for decades to support fair and open trade practices because we understand that trade is a two-way street. In today’s global economy, we know that we need to be competitive to grow and maintain our market share. Our farmers have done that, which is why agriculture has a positive trade balance. In 2018, the U.S. is forecast to export $139.5 billion in agricultural goods to the 95 percent of consumers who live outside the U.S. Instead of new protectionist policies, our nation’s focus should be on growing market access and promoting expanded trade from our most competitive industries.

-Wesley Spurlock, Chairman of NCGA and Texas farmer

American Soybean Association (ASA)

“We have been warning the administration and members of Congress that this would happen since the prospect for tariffs was raised. That unfortunately doesn’t lend any comfort to the hundreds of thousands of soybean farmers who will be affected by these tariffs. This is no longer a hypothetical, and a 25 percent tariff on U.S. soybeans into China will have a devastating effect on every soybean farmer in America.”

“But there is still time to reverse this damage, and the administration can still deliver for farmers by withdrawing the tariffs that caused this retaliation. China has said that its 25 percent tariff will only go into effect based on the course of action the administration takes. We call on President Trump to engage the Chinese in a constructive manner—not a punitive one—and achieve a positive result for soybean farmers.”

-ASA President and Iowa farmer John Heisdorffer

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG)

“Farmers across the country have invested a lot of money and time over the years to develop a Chinese market that has great potential to buy even more American wheat. Now that effort is in jeopardy at a time when big global supplies have already pushed farm gate wheat prices down to unsustainable levels.”

-USW Chairman, Mike Miller, USW Chairman and wheat farmer from Ritzville, Washington.

“Continued drought, low prices and trade uncertainty adds pressure to passing a Farm Bill on time as well as creating uncertainty for producers and lenders. In a trade war, agriculture is always the first target. The Administration can support rural Americans by working with Chinese officials to avoid these damaging tariffs.”

-NAWG President Jimmie Musick a wheat farmer from Sentinel, Oklahoma

National Sorghum Producers

“Unfortunately, this is not the first time sorghum farmers have faced depressed prices and market uncertainty. We saw a similar reaction after the announcement of anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations on imports of U.S. sorghum into China on February 4, following the Administration’s tariff action on imports of Chinese solar panels and washing machines.”

“Trade wars are not good for anyone, and we urge President Trump and other negotiators to take a constructive approach in the ongoing negotiations that do not threaten more harm to U.S. sorghum producers. Our hope is that this situation will be resolved sooner rather than later. Sorghum is good for U.S. farmers and traders, and good for China.”

-NSP Chairman and Nebraska farmer Don Bloss

American Farm Bureau Federation

“Farmers and ranchers are, by necessity, patient and optimistic. We know markets ebb and flow. But China’s threatened retaliation against last night’s U.S. tariff proposal is testing both the patience and optimism of families who are facing the worst agricultural economy in 16 years. This has to stop.

“Growing trade disputes have placed farmers and ranchers in a precarious position. We have bills to pay and debts we must settle, and cannot afford to lose any market, much less one as important as China’s. We urge the United States and China to return to negotiations and produce an agreement that serves the interests of the world’s two largest economies.”

-American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall

U.S. Meat Export Federation

“China is a promising market for U.S. beef, and, since the June 2017 reopening, the U.S. industry has made an exceptional effort to provide customers with high-quality beef at an affordable price. This is not an easy task, due to our 13-year absence from the market and China’s beef import requirements.”

“Over the past nine months, interest in U.S. beef has steadily gained momentum in China and our customer base has grown. But if an additional import tariff is imposed on U.S. beef, these constructive business relationships, and opportunities for further growth, will be put at risk. USMEF is hopeful that this trade dispute can be resolved without China introducing additional obstacles for U.S. beef.”

-USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA)

“It is unsettling to see American-produced beef listed as a target for retaliation. Sadly, we are not surprised, as this is an inevitable outcome of any trade war. This is a battle between two governments, and the unfortunate casualties will be America’s cattlemen and women and our consumers in China. The Trump Administration has until the end of May to resolve this issue. We believe in trade enforcement, but endless retaliation is not a good path forward for either side.”

- Kent Bacus, Director of International Trade and Market Access for the NCBA

National Pork Producers Council

“Exports are extremely critical to the financial well-being of our producers. Over the past 10 years, the United States, on average, has been the top exporter of pork in the world, and we’re the lowest-cost producer. The U.S. exports pork to more than 100 nations, and those exports support 110,000 American jobs. Last year, nearly $6.5 billion of U.S. pork was exported, which was more than 26 percent of U.S. pork production.”

- Neil Dierks, CEO of the National Pork Producers Council