MFU members talk international trade impacts with assistant secretary of state

Press release

Montana Farmers Union members, farmers, and ranchers recently relayed the impacts of foreign policy on their day-to-day lives with Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Bill Russo, discussing the need to rebuild trade relations, opportunities for U.S. wheat in Canada, mandatory Country of Origin Labeling, food security and national security, immigration reform for ag labor, and concerns with foreign and corporate consolidation and ownership of our food and ag supply chains.

Russo was keenly interested in the impact global trade relations have on family farmers. MFU urged that the U.S. work to rebuild trade relations with its customers, following a three-year trade war from the previous administration, that did little other than disrupt markets. 

“Anything we can do to not make food a weapon, or the unintended victim, in these trade disruptions is critically important. It’s a huge chunk of money that disappears out of the state,” MFU Board Member Erik Somerfeld said. 

MFU continues to urge the administration to explore the creation of a pathway for U.S. wheat to be traded into Canada, where American wheat currently faces trade barriers and restrictions in the Canadian grading system which are not similar coming the other way.

Russo noted this concern and said that the State Department is working on empowering the Unites States’ economic officers all around the world with the tools and knowledge they need to be better advocates for market access for U.S. industries.

The producers in the meeting highlighted the importance of mandatory Country of Origin Labeling — mCOOL — for beef, saying mCOOL helps producers differentiate their products and consumers make accurate decisions. While a directive from the Biden administration requires all beef, pork, lamb and bison products — red meat — purchased by USDA be born, raised and processed in the United States, mCOOL is needed.

MFU member, producer and National Farmers Organization Vice President Bruce Shultz told the Secretary that when the U.S. had mandatory COOL, American ranchers received some of the highest prices ever for cattle, until Congress repealed mCOOL in 2015. 

“The USDA (inspection) label is important, but a lot of people think that means American product — but that’s not necessarily the case,” Shultz said.

Accurate inspection of imports that claim to be organic also is needed, MFU member John Wicks said. 

Russo reiterated that a north star of the State Department’s international work is the idea of raising standards.

“Any country, like ours, that has immense pride in what we produce, should want to have others rise up to meet us, rather than a race to the bottom,” Russo said.  

Russo also talked about the State Department’s — and broader administration’s — focus on supply chains and, more specifically, semi-conductors due to the high impact and potential damage that disruption of that supply chain can have. Producers in attendance conveyed that domestic production of semi-conductors, as well as crop inputs, like fertilizer, would be ideal.  

Immigration reform in the vein of agricultural labor and the need for a streamlined legal pathway was also discussed in the meeting. MFU relayed that this is an economical issue for family farmers and ranchers, not political. 

Montana Farmers Union representatives said they are grateful to Russo for dedicating the time to learn about the issues and global policies that impact the daily lives of Montana family farmers and ranchers.