On October 7, MABA President Chuck Lippstreu joined MDARD Director Tim Boring, Michigan Agricultural Commodities (MAC) VP Robert Geers and leaders of Farmers for Free Trade for a media briefing at MAC Breckenridge on trade and exports. You can read more about this event in the press: DTN: Ag Groups Press for Aid While Some Raise Concerns About Long-Term Tariff DamageBrownfield: Michigan ag leaders say lost exports could damage entire farm economy9&10 Michigan: Agriculture officials warn against protracted trade war Following are selected quotes from Lippstreu’s remarks at the event. You can learn more about FFT’s Motorcade for Trade by visiting this link. On overall trade from Michigan: “I want to be clear, our state is an export success story. Michigan is proud to grow crops that are enjoyed by people on six continents. And just this past year, and multiple times over recent years, our state has reached record export value. We’re really proud of that in the state of Michigan. We need to keep that going. We’re glad to be here with Farmers for Free Trade today because we want to be sure that we’re not shy telling the story that exports underpin so much of our rural economic success in the state of Michigan.” On the importance of trading relationships for the rural economy: “Agriculture is our state’s second largest economic engine when you look at the full scope of food and agricultural production. Around a quarter of jobs in our state are somehow tied back to the food value chain, second only to the manufacturing industry. We can’t lose that, especially in places like Breckenridge, where rural businesses like MAC are cornerstones of the local economy.” “The grain industry alone in the state of Michigan supports around 15,000 jobs, according to a recent economic analysis released by NGFA, and pumps billions of dollars, $4.8 billion annually, into our state’s economy. That’s not nothing; it’s very important. It supports farmer livelihoods and rural economic success. We want to continue to see Michigan achieve record export volume and value.” On maintaining and expanding export markets for Michigan: “We have got to continue to prioritize major existing export destinations for Michigan-grown products. That means ensuring that we have export opportunities into one of our largest trade partners, China. It means maintaining the North American partnerships that are so important for us here in Michigan, including our largest trading partner, Canada, and our second largest export destination, Mexico. “We have an opportunity as an industry, I think, to make sure we’re telling that story, how critical exports are, especially in these large existing markets, and to support policymakers in their efforts to make sure we have fair, open trade and opportunities to market products throughout the world.” “Especially for us here in Michigan, where we are a hub for North American trade and travel and commerce, that relationship with Canada in particular stands out. The relationship with Mexico stands out, and certainly our soybean growers are concerned about the situation with China. Making sure that we maintain and expand those existing export destinations would go a long way to providing some ability for all of us to sleep better at night. The administration is also, as we know, taking new steps to prioritize new market development, and we applaud that. We think that’s a good thing.” On the State of Michigan budget as it relates to trade “Here in Michigan last week, lawmakers came together on a strong bipartisan basis, worked through some difficult issues, and ultimately passed a bipartisan budget agreement that funds the roads, that funds departments of government in common-sense ways, and funds at full year-over-year levels the functions at MDARD that we rely on to facilitate exports. That was possible because Speaker Hall and Leader Brinks and the Governor and her team were able to come together and work through some difficult issues and get a budget agreement in place. We were glad to see that. It’s good for Michigan agriculture. It’s good for exports because, again, we rely on our state government as well as the federal government on [export facilitation].” # # #
