In the past, most countries did little to address the non-tariff barriers to U.S. farm commodities. Julie Callahan, who serves as the chief agricultural trade negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, says that has changed in the Trump Administration. “It’s really a unique opportunity to have a President that comes out and says access to the U.S. market should not be considered a given or a right,” said Callahan. “A lot of our trading partners in the past have felt that they could treat American companies and American farmers as badly as they wanted, and they would still have access to our market. Now we have a President who’s willing to police that market and say, if you’re not treating our farmers appropriately, you’re going to have consequences.” Callahan was part of the kickoff of the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum.
