NPPC Applauds Agreement to Move Forward USMCA

The National Pork Producers Council is applauding a deal that will move ratification of the USMCA forward in Congress and is calling for a vote before the end of this year. Yesterday the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives announced an agreement has been reached that will move forward ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the trade deal that will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.

 

Jim Monroe, the Assistant Vice President Communications with the National Pork Producers Council, says USMCA ratification has been and continues to be a primary objective for the NPPC.

 

 

Mexico and Canada took about 40 percent of total U.S. pork exports last year and they're on a similar pace this year so obviously these markets are essential for U.S. pork producers and their livelihoods. USMCA Ratification has been and continues to be a primary objective for the National Pork Producers Council.

 

News that Democrats and the Administration have ironed out an agreement and our trading partners appear to be good with that is very good news. I think it demonstrates that the administration and Congress can work together in a bipartisan fashion and get trade deals done.

 

It's obviously important for zero tariff pork trade in North American and preserving that but it also demonstrates to other trading partners that the administration, working with Congress, can get these deals done and I think that's good news for U.S. pork producers and for American agriculture overall. It gets us one step closer and we're going to continue to push for a vote in Congress this year.

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.