Farmscape for January 19, 2017

Manitoba's Minister of Agriculture says trade was a key issue among Canadians attending the 2017 Legislative Agriculture Chairs  Summit.
Earlier this month agricultural leaders from across North America attended the 2017 Legislative Agriculture Chairs  Summit in Baton Rouge.
Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler, who took part in the summit, told reporters on hand this week for the 2017 edition of Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon, the issue of trade was front and centre.

Clip-Ralph Eichler-Agriculture Minister Manitoba:
We're their largest trading partner and they are ours so we want to keep that dialogue open.
That message was loud and clear to the Senators and of course to the state legislators as well.
We know that trade is important.
We know that our beef sector, we don't have the financial ability, we may have it but it's not something we want to spend our money on, on the prime cuts.
The U.S. people, because of the population, can help us with that.
We'll take the lower cuts of beef in order to ensure that we remain competitive.
We have a great relationship not only now and we hope into the future but it is about having an open conversation and open dialogue in order to make sure that we continue on those relationships.
It's interesting.
When you take the politics out of the room, 99 percent of the people, there was 34 Canadians there including our Minister of Agriculture for Canada which I was very proud to have there.
But you take the politics out of it, people understand agriculture us the economic engine for the United States and for Canada.
We can never forget that.
One in eight jobs in Manitoba is because of agriculture.
You take exports out of there, we put more value added in, we all win so we can not take our eye off that ball.

Eichler says he is not overly concerned at this point.
He says we don't yet know who will be appointed to the position of U.S. Agriculture Secretary but he is ready and willing to sit down and work with the new U.S. Agriculture Secretary.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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