AMC president says TPP provides opportunities for ag manufacturers

Jan 27, 2016

Tariffs on ag machinery could be reduced or eliminated

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

The Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada (AMC), an organization made up of more than 300 members including Walinga, Penta, MacDon and Bourgault, has voiced its support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

AMC President Leah Olson said the 12-country trade agreement can allow Canadian ag manufacturers to continue building a successful industry and target other priority markets.

“Our industry in 2014 exported over $2 billion,” she said. “Our top markets tend to be (other than the United States) Australia and various others. There’s some definite opportunities for our manufacturers to export more of their equipment.”

Olson said Australia and New Zealand are among the countries where there’s a need for agricultural equipment.

Bourgault

Under the TPP agreement, many tariffs will be eliminated or reduced; according to Global Affairs Canada, New Zealand and Australia will eliminate tariffs of up to five per cent on harvesters, mowers and other equipment.

Since the introduction of the TPP, there have been people openly against it but Olson said the agreement can have a multi-layered effect – especially if the traded products are of the highest quality.

“When you start to trade with others it either brings your production up or if you’re in a weaker perspective, gives you opportunities to improve it and work with others who have a competitive advantage,” she said. “We’re fortunate that we are the best of the best.”

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.