USDA

The Agriculture Department's top trade official, Ted McKinney, on Wednesday told agriculture stakeholders to “buckle up” and prepare for turbulence as the Trump administration goes after unfair trading practices.

“When you talk about trade issues – and even if [Trump] is just talking tough – you have to understand the implications. Even just talking tough can affect the markets.”

Mexico’s U.S. ambassador, Geronimo Gutierrez, warned on Monday that the tariffs on steel and aluminum the Trump administration is planning could constrain the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

Colombia’s quest to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which could be concluded as soon as April, could have major implications for other Latin American countries -- such as Brazil -- as well as future trade relations with the U.S., according to analysts and private-sector sources.

“We get the Mexican politics out of the way, I think we’ll have a deal before the end of the year.”

“Not only do we have a Plan b, we have a Plan C and D and E and F,” the prime minister says; Ross insists withdrawal remains an option and says a final deal must be “100 percent” palatable to the president.

Canada must step up its engagement in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Under Secretary for Trade Ted McKinney said in remarks at the annual American Farm Bureau Federation conference -- while President Trump hardly mentioned the pact in his speech.

Jason Hafemeister writes that it is time “to reflect, reset, and reinvigorate the negotiations to tackle the real-world international trade concerns that face agriculture today.”