Trade was a key topic for a Southern Alberta Farmer at the U.S. Wheat Associates' Summer Board Meeting in Montana last week.

Alberta Wheat Commission Chair, Gary Stanford, presented to American farmers about Canada's trade with Europe through the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), as well as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) which allows better access to the Asia-Pacific market.

"Most of the farmers that were there, they want to become part of the TPP. They realize by taking down some trade tariffs, that way they have more opportunities too."

Stanford says American farmers are pressuring U.S. Congress to see if they can't become part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership their Government originally pulled out of.

One of the key messages Stanford wants to bring back home from the meeting is Canada needs to keep on its toes to retain market share.

Stanford says he heard the U.S. is trying to get more of their Hard Red Winter Wheat into South America because it's a market being filled by Canadian wheat.

He notes New Crop Missions, where Canadians travel to different countries to promote our wheat, as well as keeping in touch with grain buyers and millers around the world, will continue to play an important role in building and retaining markets.

Stanford was also able to connect with some farmers effected by the flooding in the U.S., where he says there's a predicted 10 million acres of corn which will not get planted this year.

"It has helped with the prices of our wheat and our barley, and so it's helping their price too," Stanford explains. "They won't have as much corn to export in the future, so some of the other countries might have to buy more wheat, or more wheat and barley will be used in the feed sector."

He says there's also a few unplanted acres of wheat in North Dakota due to the excessive moisture.

However, because the meeting was aimed at wheat producers, Stanford says most farmers at the event were not in the wet areas of Illinois and Iowa which is a strong soybean and corn region.

Overall, Stanford says the border is just a line, and farmers in the United States are working hard to make a living just like producers at home.

 

Read more: Farmers Collaborate on Wheat Industry Issues At Agri-Trade