One thing Canadian cattlemen can be certain of, they are not alone in their concern regarding trade, its importance to agriculture, or how it will be handled by the new Trump administration. At the U.S. cattle industry convention in February, anywhere from 250 to 400 cattlemen attended separate committee sessions on international marketing and export […] Read more
On the cusp of change on trade
Free Market Reflections with Steve Dittmer
Donald Trump’s cabinet and trade
Free Market Reflections with Steve Dittmer
Candidate Donald Trump was not an unquestioned free trader. While he harped on China frequently, and Mexico and NAFTA considerably, he claimed he wasn’t against free trade as long as it was fair trade. I have hoped that he would fulfill his promises to recover manufacturing job losses in America’s midwestern Rust Belt with major […] Read more
The attempted resurrection of a horrible idea
Free Market Reflections with Steve Dittmer
As is often true with proposed regulation, it helps to consider the source in evaluating the origin, impetus and motivation. With the attempted resurrection of then GIPSA administrator J. Dudley Butler’s so-called “GIPSA Rule,” the cast of proponents is very similar to mCOOL, with which Canadians are all too familiar. R-CALF, the Organization for Competitive Markets […] Read more
Canadian cattlemen and Trump
We put on our most entertaining presidential campaign ever down here for Canadian cattlemen. Now, it’s on to a whole new reality on both sides of the border. What can Canadians expect from President Trump? There is definite good news. Three times before in American history, an administration has applied a free market, supply-side approach […] Read more
Michael Pollan is crusading again
Free Market Reflections with Steve Dittmer
The New York Times Magazine recently continued its war on conventional agriculture by giving considerable space to contributing editor Michael Pollan, the UC-Berkeley journalism professor who has made it his goal to replace modern agriculture with something producing only food his “great-grandmother would recognize.” Pollan’s latest* offering recounts how his letter in 2008 warned incoming […] Read more
Cutting your nose off to spite your face
While free market cattlemen and their associations operate similarly, whether Canadian or American, there are some differences, especially with regard to their government. While some Canadian associations can receive both government funds and government engagement in promoting and defending the beef industry, it’s different in America. No government funds go to any beef industry trade […] Read more
A frustrating election campaign
I’m writing this 60 days out from the 2016 U.S. elections. Given that this election has followed no established rules or expectations up to this point, that may not be much of a disadvantage. I’ve said ever since the disaster in Benghazi on September 11, 2012, that I really didn’t think Hillary Clinton would be […] Read more
Cattle industry concerns shared by many in the U.S.
Politics and trade are high on the radar
Beyond the markets and the weather, American cattlemen are riveted on the presidential election more than ever before. Why? You are familiar with Hollywood movie sequels. Well, this is “The Most Important Election in Your Lifetime: Part 3.” How much can any governmental system take? The present state of the economy, the breakdown in the […] Read more
Can a U.S. president sink NAFTA?
As Canadians who monitor American politics know, the Republican candidate Donald Trump has presented a confusing and threatening trade posture. He claims to favour free trade yet hates our trade deals and opposes the deal nearly all Canadian and American cattlemen see as critical to their future — the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He’s also said […] Read more
Too far out?
Free Market Reflections from the June 2016 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Recently Canadian cattlemen were upset because a Canadian-based chain, Earls, decided to serve only “Certified Humane” beef, currently only available from one source — Creekstone Farms in Kansas, U.S. Ah, the complexities of producing and marketing food today. I’m sure Canadian cattlemen and processors were quite taken aback that a Canadian restaurant chain would shut them […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
