For generations, trade has shaped our country into the envy of the world. America was built on it. Without robust partnerships and markets around the globe, our nation’s economy would grind to a halt. As I see it, though, our country’s conventional approach to tariffs, no matter how well-intentioned, has failed to address the modern complexities of the global trade market and the experience of America’s agricultural producers and manufacturers.
I’m a Nebraska farmer — not a columnist, talking head, or a politician. The only way I know how to do a job like this is to tell the truth and make difficult decisions simple: The hardcore reality is that many countries have beaten us on trade, installing hurdles and manipulating prices to hurt U.S. agriculture and industry for years and years. It must stop. It’s time leaders in Washington step up to help, and I’m glad President Donald Trump is leading.
During his campaign, the president promised to establish an America First trade policy in defense of our farmers and ranchers. Promises made, promises kept. We’re the breadbasket of the world, and that’s why we need to make sure our international trade framework sets all of us, everyday families and producers in the United States, up for success.
Trade hinges on the idea of mutual economic benefit — it’s a great goal, and it’s good for everyone. But we aren’t playing in a “free trade” space anymore, certainly not with foreign adversaries and trade manipulators such as China on the scene. Agriculture has to rely on trade. We know it, and we depend on it. However, the status quo just isn’t working.
My home is in a deep-red state known for agriculture. Corn and cattle are king here, but my family and I raise pigs. The U.S. pork industry raises the highest quality, most affordable, and safest pork in the world. We also supply more than the domestic market demands, so we have to export roughly 30% of fresh and frozen pork. If we can’t export pork, prices plummet and producers go out of business.
Many of us producers believe there’s a middle ground in this grand debate, a position that factors in the complexity of international dealings but makes sure that America’s hardworking agricultural industry is heard. Targeted tariffs must be a tool the president and his administration use as part of negotiations around their full-scale assault on decades of unfair trade practices.
China is a prime example. It is Nebraska’s biggest international customer. We send over $2.2 billion of exports, primarily soybeans, corn, and beef, over to feed the Chinese people and livestock. That makes a huge difference for our economy. However, following decades of soft-gloved attempts to bring Chinese economic policy into Western trade norms, its continued market control and burdensome barriers mean we’re leaving too much money on the table. The Chinese Communist Party isn’t the only offender, but it’s certainly the most egregious.
The truth is that international trade markets are already being disrupted, and the only way to get back to something fair and free is to knock the cheaters off their feet. Nebraska will partner with Trump, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, and their trade team to help the U.S. overcome decades of being duped by unfair trade policy and multinational special interests. I’m encouraging other governors around the country to do the same.
We all want to help mothers and fathers lower their grocery bills and do our part to feed the world, but we also know what it takes to make our food and other value-added agricultural products competitive in a global market. It doesn’t just happen, and it’s nearly impossible when outdated U.S. trade dogma holds us back.
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From ranchers in my home state to citrus growers in Florida to berry producers in the Northwest, agriculture in America is expansive and second to none. Our people, land, and water allow us to compete with and feed anyone around the world — we just need to make sure we have a level playing field.
We aren’t victims, but U.S. farmers and ranchers need a boost. We’re problem solvers who know how special it is to fulfill our calling. That’s why this conversation matters. Agriculture across this country deserves free and fair trade because if we get it, we know the U.S. is going to win big. I’ll bet the farm on it.
Jim Pillen is the governor of Nebraska.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
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