Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 12/3/18

Taking the stage at the Illinois Farm Bureau Federation conference today after the group passed a resolution seeking an end to current trade disputes that have hit farmers hard, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue thanked the farmers for their patience and told them to stay tuned as details are worked out following this weekend’s movement on trade talks with China.

President Donald Trump and China President Xi Jing Ping agreed to stop escalating tariffs for 90 days as the two countries work to resolve trade issues including intellectual property transfer and agriculture trade.

Perdue called the meeting “very promising” and noted talks must address tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade.

“I’m excited about the prospect of China buying our stuff again and stop stealing our stuff,” said Perdue. He added that while the administration is working to get the Chinese market back for agricultural products, it is also working to diversify markets for the hardest hit commodities, such as soybeans.

“I want to thank you for bearing the brunt of these tariffs. You understand the long game. On behalf of the President, I have been really proud of our agricultural community for giving the President the benefit of the doubt,” said Perdue.

Speaking to reporters after his address, Perdue said it is “yet to be determined” whether China will remove the tariffs on U.S. soybeans, saying, “Those are the issues that will be fleshed out in the next few days.”

He said the current 90-day cooling off period is a great opportunity to get serious and make the decisions that will benefit both countries.

“I can affirm that President Trump has high expectations over the benefit of this meeting. He didn’t meet just to have an announcement. He met to make a difference in our agricultural exports,” he told reporters. “There are a lot of things we can sell them. We are starting to sell them some pork again, mostly because of the African Swine Fever issue. We’d love to sell pork, poultry, rice, sorghum and other things.”

Mexico pork tariffs
Asked what steps the administration is taking to get Mexico to lift its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. pork, Perdue said, “That’s what we are working on with the (Section) 232 tariffs. That has to be negotiated down to a quota rather than a tariff situation. We are working with the White House and others to make that happen as soon as possible. There are ongoing meetings all the time.”

Farm bill
Perdue said he expects to see a finished version of the farm bill early next week and plans to encourage President Trump to sign it, even though the White House did not get the changes it sought to the supplemental nutrition programs.

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