Northwest Iowa — While both the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees have blasted proposed trade agreements, Iowa’s top ag official says trade is essential to agriculture and especially to northwest Iowa agriculture.
Spirit Lake farmer, and Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey says he’s concerned when he hears Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump speak out against trade deals. He says the Pacific Trade Pact would be a boon to agriculture.
Iowa is the top pork-producing state in the nation, and Northey says the export of Iowa pork products is a great example of how northwest Iowa farmers benefit from world trade.
Northey says many of Iowa’s key ag products are being shipped out of the country.
On Monday, Iowa entered into a partnership of memorandum of cooperation with India. Northey says India doesn’t constitute a major market for Iowa agricultural goods at the moment, but he believes with time, that will change. India has a growing population of 1.2 billion.
