Published: September 25, 2019

The Nebraska Corn Board and the Nebraska Corn Growers Association welcomed today’s news regarding an agreement reached between the United States and Japan. This agreement was signed by President Trump this morning and will ensure fair trade with a longstanding trade partner. In the agreement, Japan will be lowering tariffs on U.S. agricultural products, including corn, by $7 billion.

“Japan is now the second largest buyer of U.S. corn,” said David Bruntz, chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board and farmer from Friend. “With the tough times we’ve been experiencing in agriculture, this is a step in the right direction and we look forward to the details being released on this comprehensive trade deal.”

“Japan has always been a loyal partner with our American ag industry,” said Dan Nerud, president of the Nebraska Corn Growers Association and farmer from Dorchester. “In the recent marketing year alone, Japan purchased more than $2 million in U.S. corn. This agreement is also an important step in the right direction for future ethanol exports.”

The details of the agreement released today show this pact would bring corn exports back in line with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, which was supported by Nebraska Corn. This puts U.S. corn on a level playing field with other current Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) countries. Nebraska Corn thanks the President for signing the agreement and looks forward to moving forward with this new trade pact.

The Nebraska Corn Board is funded through a producer checkoff investment of ½-cent-per-bushel checkoff on all corn marketed in the state and is managed by nine farmer directors. The mission of the Nebraska Corn Board is to promote the value of corn by creating opportunities.

The Nebraska Corn Growers Association (NeCGA) is a grassroots commodity organization that works to enhance the profitability of corn producers. NeCGA has more than 2,400 dues-paying members in Nebraska. NeCGA is affiliated with the National Corn Growers Association, which has more than 40,000 dues-paying members nationwide.

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