Source: POLITICO, 10/7/17

THouse Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway , one of many U.S. farm leaders impatient with the lack of progress in NAFTA negotiations, is headed north to do something about it. The Texas Republican will lead a bipartisan delegation of House members to Ottawa this weekend to "communicate a sense of urgency" to Canadian trade negotiators. It's time to lay out concrete agricultural proposals and wrap up the talks, Conaway said. His comments came a day after Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue expressed disappointment with the slow pace of talks, but suggested there is potential for serious agricultural discussions in Round 4, which begins next week.

Agriculture has long been a source of tension between the U.S. and Canada, particularly in dairy and wheat trade. While lawmakers are likely to discuss U.S. farmers and ranchers' desire to have greater market access for those commodities, the real focus will be pressuring to move the deal forward, a committee aide said. Conaway will be joined by Reps. David Rouzer (R-N.C.), John Faso (R-N.Y.), Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) and Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.). U.S. trade negotiators are not expected to attend. U.S. farm groups - many of which didn't want NAFTA to be reopened in the first place - have cautioned against dragging out the 2.0 talks, because uncertainty is bad for business.