|
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Free-ish trade...
It is becoming increasingly clear no deal at the WTO will meet US agriculture's approval. All the market access in the world won't mean much until we become competitive in the global marketplace, so many leaders now see any deal as "unilateral disarmament" - as if our own trade barriers/subsidies are helping us somehow. US producers keep pointing to EU subsidies or trade restrictions in tiny economies and saying, "All the other kids are doing it!". To me this is like refusing to quit smoking until everybody else quits first. "Unilateral disarmament" should be undertaken for its own sake - because we are not giving weapons - we are giving up economically harmful practices. Trade barriers like our sugar program and production subsidies do not make our agriculture strong - just the opposite. Especially now that we have made it a law that people must use ethanol regardless of price, and we may not be exporting much anyway -at least corn - this could be a good time to try to kick our subsidy habit. I think the administration might be thinking along the same lines. US Farm Report host John Phipps surfs the Web so you don't have to...
About Me
Jan and I farm 1700 acres near Chrisman, IL. I have also written humor and commentary for Farm Journal and Top Producer for 13 years. Please visit my website (www.johnwphipps.com) to learn about my speaking services for your group's next meeting. ARCHIVES
April 2006 /
May 2006 /
June 2006 /
July 2006 /
August 2006 /
September 2006 /
October 2006 /
November 2006 /
December 2006 /
January 2007 /
February 2007 /
March 2007 /
April 2007 /
May 2007 /
June 2007 /
July 2007 /
August 2007 /
MORE FROM JOHN
On the Coffee Table |
Farm Journal • Top Producer • Beef Today • Dairy Today • AgDay U.S. Farm Report • Pro Farmer • Pro Farmer Members AgWeb Professional - Subscription Information • Add AgWeb.com to your Favorites FAQ • Contact Us • Privacy Policy • Advertise on AgWeb.com Quotes by eSignal • Quotes delayed at least 10 min © Copyright 2006 AgWeb.com a division of Farm Journal, Inc. |
| Home | Agriculture News | Weather | Money & Markets | Ag Discussions | Site Map | |
