On the road to NAFTA: Manitoba ag minister hopeful

Feb 12, 2018

Eichler addressed trade resolutions last week in Winnipeg

By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Ralph Eichler, Manitoba’s agriculture minister, is optimistic that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations will progress with the United States, benefitting the three participating countries.

At the 2018 Manitoba Swine Seminar in Winnipeg last week, Eichler discussed several issues affecting the industry – including trade, according to a Farmscape article today.

Negotiators have made significant progress in reaching an agreement, the article reported. Also, Eichler has observed some American support for Canada’s position on NAFTA.

“We know that the United States has had a number of folks come and support Canada. They understand and know well that Canada is important to have in the U.S. economy,” Eichler said in the article.

“The Senate has been very supportive, as well as the House of Representatives has been very supportive of making sure we have an agreement now and going forward that’s respectful and has benefits for trade for both countries.”

American farmers and the US Department of Agriculture have shown strong support for NAFTA. If the agreement goes south in any way, agriculture will not be the cause, Eichler said.

Two more rounds of negotiations have been announced to allow for further discussion on several proposals put on the table in Montreal a few weeks ago, according to a Global News article. But no meeting dates have been confirmed yet.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.