Arkansas Farm Bureau thanked the Arkansas Congressional delegation for their support of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, which passed the House of Representatives Thursday after a lengthy delay.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Rich Hillman, newly elected president of the Arkansas Farm Bureau. “We first reached a general agreement on USMCA more than a year ago, but we had been unable to get ratification from Washington until today.

“The Arkansas Farm Bureau has been very vocal with the members of our Congressional delegation, reinforcing to them the need for ratification. In fact, just two weeks ago at our state convention, our delegates reiterated the importance of getting this trade agreement ratified as quickly as possible.

“USMCA will bring needed stability to the agricultural marketplace. And we are thankful that all four members of the Arkansas House delegation voted for ratification.”

Canada and Mexico are the nation’s two largest agricultural trading partners, totaling a combined $40 billion in 2018. In fact, more than 29 percent of all U.S. farm and food exports went to our North American neighbors last year.

“We believe USMCA will make a good trade relationship even better,” said Hillman. “This agreement ensures preferential market access for U.S. ag exporters and affirms commitments to fair and science-based trade rules.”

Top U.S. ag exports to Canada and Mexico include corn ($3.4 billion), prepared foods ($2.7 billion, fresh fruit ($2.2 billion) and soybeans ($2.1 billion). The largest agriculture exports from Arkansas to Mexico and Canada are poultry, rice and wood products.

Arkansas Farm Bureau to improve farm and rural life. With almost 190,000 member families, ArFB is the state’s largest agricultural advocacy group, representing roughly 1 in 4 Arkansans.
 

For more information, contact:

Steve Eddington                                                                       
(501) 228-1383                                                                         
steve.eddington@arfb.com

or

Rob Anderson
(501) 228-1640
rob.anderson@arfb.com