Novo Nordisk A/S : Corn farmers praise Texas legislators’ USMCA support

Texas Corn Producers Association (TCPA) President Wesley Spurlock, a farmer from Stratford, Texas, made the following statement following the Senate's passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA):

'This week's passage of USMCA through the Senate is welcomed by Texas corn farmers and agriculturists across the country.

Notably, the trade agreement with our North American neighbors passed with full support of all Texas legislators in both the Senate and House. TCPA greatly appreciates our state's congressional members for their recognition of the value of these trade relations to our state. In my years in leadership for our association, I can't recall a time that we saw such overwhelming support on an issue of such importance for Texas agriculture from all those representing our state in D.C.

We're eager to see the president put his signature on this agreement that's been many months in the making. When trade negotiations commenced, TCPA and fellow agricultural organizations worked with the administration, as well as House and Senate legislators, to assert the value of maintaining and growing agricultural exports. Seeing these efforts come to fruition is good news to farmers as we continue facing volatile economic conditions. Securing trade relations offers some hope in an otherwise grim market.

Mexico and Canada account for 29% of all U.S. agricultural exports. With U.S. corn and corn product exports valued at $3.3 billion, Mexico was the top market in 2017/2018. With its obvious geographic opportunities for Texas, the Mexican market is of vital importance for corn farmers - impacting farmers and regional economies significantly.

Again, we want to express our thanks to the Texas legislators in the Senate and the House for the months of hard work these members put in to get this through Congress. TCPA encourages the president to solidify trade with our North American partners by quickly signing the USMCA.'