V O L U M E 2 8
NOVEMBER 2019
M O N TA N A
GRASS ROOTS F E E D I N G T H E F U T U R E T H R O U G H F A R M E R S U N I O N E D U C AT I O N A P U B L I C AT I O N B Y M O N TA N A F A R M E R S U N I O N
MEMBERS GATHER FOR THE 104TH ANNUAL STATE CONVENTION IN GREAT FALLS The 2019 state convention theme Exploring Ideas, Innovation and Impact brought members together from all over the state. The event was held October 25-26 at the Heritage Inn. The convention featured workshops on precision agriculture, trade, grizzly management, malt barley testing, suicide prevention and more. Keynote speakers included Dr. Sreekala Bajwa, Roger Johnson, Luc Swensson and entertainment by hypnotist Erick Kand and a murder mystery dinner theatre. Members elected state officers including Walter Schweitzer to serve as President. "I am humbled that my neighbors and fellow Montana Farmers Union members have entrusted me with this great opportunity and responsibility.” C O N T I N U E D PA G E 6
FIX USMCA AND FINISH TRANS PACIFIC AGREEMENTS
by the directors of NFU (National Farmers Union) asking Congress to fix USMCA. To gain NFU support for USMCA, Congress must provide needed protections B Y WA LT E R S C H W E I T Z E R for American family farm-ers and We currently have a trade agree- ranchers.The agreement should ment with Canada and Mexico; strengthen labor, environment, it is called NAFTA.I support the and enforcement provisions; recresolution unanimously approved tify language related to prescription drugs; strengthen anti-dumping protections for agricultural NONPROFIT ORG goods;GAINS and re-establish Country• COOL TRACTION IN US POSTAGE of-Origin Labeling (COOL) auPAID thority. CONGRESS
IN THIS EDITION:
LIVINGSTON, MT PERMIT NO. 93
SomeADOPTS AG organizations are • MFU SPECIAL OR-
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promoting ratification of the USMCA. you get aTRADE chance, ask DERS ONIfHEMP, & how USMCA benefits the family farm. They don’t have a good CSKT answer. Some say it allows wheat 2020 WOMEN’S growers to exportCONFERwheat to Canada. While it does create a path to ENCE deliver PREVIEW wheat to Canada, the Canadian Wheat Pool will only acBILL BOOST cept WILL wheat grown fromMENTAL Canadian varieties. Others say it helps the HEALTH SERVICES dairy farmers but if you ask the dairy farmers they say it allows the milk processor to pit US dairy farmers against Canadian dairy
farmers and favors large multina- ing farmland in Mexico, South tional dairies. America and Ukraine to wean itself from US farm products. Our efforts should be focused on Family farmers and ranchers are getting trade agreements with key sacrificing our markets so that Asian customers we lost when the multinational corporations can US pulled out of the TPP (Trans build their technology in China Pacific Partnership). Our com- without sharing their patents. I petitors have been able to export have a suggestion why don’t these their products to these Asian mar- companies build their technology kets without the excessive tariffs in countries that respect their patimposed on US products because ents and leave our markets alone. we signed out of the TPP. We The sooner agreements with Chihave only renegotiated one agree- na, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore ment and that is with Japan. This and other Asian Countries can be agreement is basically the same as signed the quicker we can start TPP but it doesn’t immediately trying to rebuild these markets. reduce tariffs for US products. I have always said it is easier to Tariff reductions are phased in al- keep a customer than to get one lowing our competitors a market back or find a new one. We have advantage for several more years. our work cut out for us because we will have to fight to get our The trade war with China has cost markets back and work to find us markets that we have spent de- new ones. . cades developing. China is not only the largest soybean importer but has become the largest beef PAGE 8 7 importer. PAGE The USA producers 2017 Arrowpeak Sneakon Peek the while are sitting the of sidelines Camp theme 2017 Producers our competitors are establishing revealed! long termConference agreements with China. China is building ports and buy-
