U.S. farmers and ranchers were already preparing for a less-than-ideal trade year. Leaders in Wisconsin say that is why they have taken trade negotiations into their own hands.
“The way we look at it at our state level is, those are all investments and relationships, you know, we have ongoing communication, and a lot of those places that we’ve been in over the last five or ten years, we have trade relationships with now, which means we have product that’s going there and they have some products that are coming our way, too. That’s the way it works, but always the goal of trying to increase those connections, and connect the dots is what I like to say. Connect those dots between Wisconsin, Wisconsin farmers, Wisconsin products, and people around the world,” said Randy Romanski.
USDA economists say recent trade issues stem from low crop prices, a slowing Chinese economy, and the strength of the U.S. dollar. Lawmakers also say a lack of free trade deals continues to hurt American producers.
