Focusing on Trade: What Representative Thompson thinks should be on Congress’ radar

When it comes to ag exports, there are two sides to the equation: trade and infrastructure.

House Ag Committee Chair, GT Thompson, shares what could be on the radar for Congress this session.

“It won’t be infrastructure in terms of canals, ports which needs to be addressed. We need to modernize in a serious way. I mean we have ports of entry and ports of export. They cannot accommodate these larger shipping vessels that we now have. So, for whatever reason the United States has not kept up with those investments and we need to do that. We need to be able to move our agricultural commodities efficiently.

“We need to make this a place where these companies that operate these vessels want to come to, right? Also, we need to look at some policies, like there’s an awful lot of shipping containers that are going back empty, specifically to China and that’s wrong. We’re buying products and they need to be fulfilling their trade promises and buying our commodities.”

Congressman Thompson says trade was a hot topic at the listening session with farmers this week at the World Ag Expo.

Related Stories
Farmers await concrete trade commitments from China. Until then, export prospects for soybeans, corn, and sorghum remain uncertain against strong South American competition.
National Sorghum Producers CEO Tim Lust said farmers face a challenging year with strong supply, murky trade conditions, and uncertain access to their largest market: China.
U.S. trade talks with China resume, but meat industry leaders say dealing with shifting demand and market uncertainty is nothing new in this side of the ag sector.
Tariffs are pushing up input costs, with fertilizer prices rising $100 per ton and machinery costs climbing due to steel and parts duties.
American Soybean Association President Caleb Ragland joins us to share his reaction to September’s WASDE and discuss the trade uncertainty between China and his industry.
Harvested acres are estimated at 90.0 million, making this year’s corn crop one of the largest since the 1930s.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

The National Association of Agriculture Educators (NAAE) recently elected Bill Newsom, of Tennessee, as the organization’s new president.
As we start the new year, let’s take a look at some of the legislative items from 2023 affecting agriculture that will continue to play out in the political area for months to come.
Researchers out of the United Kingdom are using gene editing technology to help make High-Path Avian Flu less of a threat to poultry.