MEXICO APPROVES USMCA REVISIONS; NPPC CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL VOTE THIS YEAR

Mexico approved U.S. changes to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement, paving the way for a congressional ratification. The Trump administration worked closely with Congressional Democrats to address their concerns in the revisions to the agreement. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) applauds the administration, Congress and the governments of Canada and Mexico for working hard to fine-tune the trade deal so that Congress can vote this year. 

 

“Mexico’s approval of USMCA changes proposed by the United States is welcome news for U.S. pork producers and all of American agriculture,” said NPPC President David Herring, a pork producer from Lillington, N.C. “Members of Congress can count on hearing, yet again, from pork producers as NPPC is unleashing a grassroots call to action. We want a vote this year and NPPC will score this critically important trade agreement as a key vote.”

 

Last year, Canada and Mexico took over 40 percent of the pork that was exported from the United States and a similar percentage is expected this year. U.S. pork exports to Canada and Mexico support 16,000 U.S. jobs. Last year, U.S. pork exports to Mexico totaled $1.3 billion and exports to Canada totaled $765 million.

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.