Zippy Duvall, Trump and American ways
NFU vice president Guy Smith is visiting America and Canada this week, accompanied by economists Lucia Zitti and Rohit Kaushish.
They are on a fact-finding tour to learn more about international agricultural policy.
Guy reports: “If the NFU had American cousins it would be the American Farm Bureau – but, let’s face facts, on US side of the pond these relies of ours have multiplied to the point that if there was ever a family gathering we’d struggle to get to the buffet.
“The bureau represents around two million farmers from all sectors and from all the 50 mainland states. With its HQ in Washington, it claims to be the voice of the American farmer.
“It is seen as a formidable lobbyist and, unlike the NFU, is a key contributor to federal candidates and political parties – mainly Republican – with more than $1m spent in the 2016 election.
“So an invitation to meet the president, the splendidly named Zippy Duvall, was enthusiastically received.
“Zippy has had a busy first year in office that has seen the birth of the Trump era and he barely contained his pro-Trump enthusiasm.
“What he liked about Trump was his anti-regulation ticket.
“Much to his approval, within days of his inauguration Trump had revamped the Waters of the United States Rules, which the Farm Bureau had argued were unfairly curtailing what farmers could do with their land to get it into better agricultural condition.
“It would seem that in America, just as in Britain, farmers instinctively warm to politicians who promise to get rid of red tape thus getting the government off their backs.
“But just as in Britain, in America once you delved deeper beyond this initial vote winning promise then things got a heap more complicated.
“For starters there was concern about Trumps ‘anti-immigrant’ ticket as many US farm businesses were dependent on the labour pool this migrant labour provided.
“Then there was the prospect of the forthcoming replacement of the 20142018 Farm Bill with its multi-billion spend on farm insurance programmes.
“What wasn’t clear here was which of Trump’s lines of rhetoric would dominate the thinking – would it be the ‘low tax’ ideas leading to the possible curtailment of US Treasury spending on national programmes such as the new Farm Bill or would it be more of the ‘America First’ style where Trump might remember the farm sector that proved ‘good friends’ during the election.
“Then there were exports. US agriculture is a key exporter of farm goods and benefits from healthy trade with countries such as Mexico and China.
“A wall across the Rio Grande or a cooling of relations with Beijing might significantly damage access to what were key markets. Then there was the changing trade scene in EU due to Britain’s departure and the prospect of a US-UK trade deal.
“So, to recap what was on the agenda – red tape, access to labour, the prospect of new agricultural policy and future trade deals, it was all familiar ground.
“Just as Brexit is shaking the tree for the NFU in the UK, so to the arrival of Trump has accelerated the pace of life at the Farm Bureau in Washington.”