Ag economist pushes for more free trade, not less – Center Square

“Exports are absolutely crucial to the agricultural sector, particularly in the Midwest,” University of Illinois agriculture economist Gary Schnitkey told The Center Square. Soybean farmers, for example, export 50% of their crop. One of the failings of U.S. trade policy in the past few years, Schnitkey said, is the failure to remove non-tariff trade barriers with other countries, in particular with the Pacific Rim countries. “The idea of freer trade in agriculture has not been growing. We seem to be taking steps back. And that is not a good thing for the wellbeing of U.S. farmers,” Schnitkey said.