Indianapolis, In. — Americans for Farmers & Families met with key Indiana agriculture leaders at a roundtable event to discuss the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the positive impact it has had on the state’s economy and the importance of strengthening the deal. Those in attendance included Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, State Agriculture Director Bruce Kettler, Amy Cornell of the Agribusiness Council of Indiana, Mike Beard of the Indiana Corn Growers Association, Angie Steinbarger of the Indiana Soybean Alliance, among others. The discussion comes after the Trump Administration’s announcement to impose increased tariffs on steel and aluminum.
Lt. Governor Crouch helped lead the discussion, stating “NAFTA is important to Indiana’s agricultural industry, so we want to make sure attempts to modernize NAFTA are done so in a way that continues to benefit Indiana farmers, workers, and businesses”. Both the agricultural and manufacturing communities at the roundtable shared further comments in support of NAFTA, with Shannon Kiely-Heider from Cummins, Inc. stating “No agreement is more important to Cummins than NAFTA”.
The food and agriculture sector raises a significant source of income for Indiana’s residents. In 2016, $1.4 billion worth of food and agriculture products were exported, with $573 million going to Canada and Mexico. Indiana’s food and agriculture sectors support over 870,000 jobs and $37 billion in wages. Closing access to these foreign markets will reduce a major source of income for the Hoosier state.
Americans for Farmers & Families is a broad-based coalition of over 100 growers, refiners, producers, transporters, retailers and consumers working to ensure President Trump and Congressional leaders understand the importance of preserving and modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to America’s agricultural and retail economies.
