AFBF Others Join To Create Farmers For Free Trade

Farmers for Free Trade is a new bipartisan campaign chaired by former Senators Max Baucus and Richard Lugar.  The campaign focus is to rebuild local, grassroots support for trade in states nationwide.  Earlier this week, the American Farm Bureau Federation announced it will form a partnership with Farmers for Free Trade.

“The rural community depends on a strong ag economy where 20% of the farm income, that comes back to the farm, comes from foreign trade," said AFBF President Zippy Duvall.  "And one, out of every three acres that is planted is exported across our shores.”

Duvall noted that, roughly 95% of the consumers of American goods live outside our boarders.  Baucus said he saw firsthand during his time as a trade ambassador to China that American farmers have a lot of opportunities overseas.

“China is going like gangbusters, they are doing deals with lots of other countries, trade deals for their benefit, Australia is doing trade deals for their benefit as is Japan.  And we Americans are not taking advantage of that opportunity, in fact we’re going in the wrong direction.”

Baucus noted shooting down deals like TPP, KORUS or NAFTA just hurts the American producer.  He added rural Americans in favor of trade, must vocalize their support, at home and in DC.

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