Trade could be impacted in 2017

During the recent presidential campaign, both of the major candidates were hard on TPP, or the Trans Pacific Partnership, and that doesn’t bode well for agriculture.

Bob Frase, president of the Illinois Pork Producers Association, says President-Elect Trump wants to re-negotiate TPP.

“We are in need of something soon and we could use a boost,” Frase told The Central Illinois Farm Network.

Frase notes the depressed farm economy is hard on rural communities, especially since farm equipment sales are down. The pork industry was looking forward to opening trade doors into southeast Asia, Japan and Mexico. Without TPP, Frase says we would be missing a “great opportunity.”

Animal welfare continues to remain a talking point in the pork industry. A right-to-farm constitutional amendment was considered in Oklahoma during the recent election. IPPA believes it is important to get the word out to the large urban areas – especially to legislators and consumers. In Illinois, these areas include Chicago, East St. Louis and even Champaign.

“It’s always been our motivation not only to just promote pork in these areas, but to let them know who we are and tell them what we do and how we do it,” said Frase.

Illinois Pork Expo marks the end of Frase’s year at the helm of IPPA. He says he has learned a lot from the experience. The expo takes place in Springfield at the end of January.