Members in the News: Countryman & Abbott

Amanda Countryman, Colorado State University Trade agreement changes could spell trouble for ag exports in Colorado By: The Fence Post and KDVR Denver - February 17, 2017 Days after his inauguration, President Donald Trump retracted the U.S.'s participation in the ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. An agreement between 11 other countries to increase trade and lower costs of American exports to the Pacific Rim and Asian-Pacific countries, opening up market access for agricultural products. Japan was included in the TPP negotiations, and is a key destination for agricultural exports for both the U.S. and Colorado, said Amanda Countryman, assistant professor in the department of agricultural and resource economics at Colorado State University. "By walking away from the TPP, it will be important to find new ways to increase and enhance trade relationships with the Asia-Pacific region," Countryman said. "In this agreement, Japan had granted unprecedented market access for agriculture, which they had never done in the past." (Continued...) Read the entire articles on The Fence Post and KDVR Denver

Phillip Abbott, Purdue University Tension with Mexico could weigh on corn prices By: Iowa Farmer Today - February 22, 2017 Stronger-than-expected total U.S. corn exports have helped corn prices stay as high as they are, noted Phil Abbott, an ag economist at Purdue University. “Take that away, and prices come back down,” he said. Mexico accounted for about 28 percent of U.S. corn exports in 2016, and its September-December imports from the U.S. rose 16 percent from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Grains Council. Mexico’s buying power also has declined. “With all this negative talk about Mexico and implications for the Mexican economy, the Mexican peso has depreciated substantially,” Abbott said. “That makes things like corn more expensive to Mexicans.” (Continued...) Read the entire articles on Iowa Farmer Today See other Member in the News items Know another AAEA Member who has made statewide, national, or international news? Send a link of the article to info@aaea.org or ascheetz@aaea.org  What research and topics are you working on? Want to be an “expert source” for journalists working on a story? We want to hear from you. Contact Jay Saunders via email, jsaunders@aaea.org.