USDA secretary Tom Vilsack gave an address at Commodity Classic on Friday, where he touched on several important issues for the United States’s ag sector; however, key details on some policies were not part of the speech.
While many were disappointed that the final rules around the GREET model for ethanol’s qualification for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) were not announced by the March 1 deadline, the secretary did drop some news related to Canada and trade.
Vilsack announced plans for a trilateral meeting set to happen later this month in Colorado, where he will meet with his Mexican and Canadian counterparts. He said that he plans to address two key items at the meeting: access to the Canadian dairy market; and, the export of corn for food use into Mexico.
Vilsack also underscored the need to properly enforce trade deals being critical for the U.S.
As we heard earlier this week from the former Canadian trade negotiator Steve Verheul, the CUSMA (USMCA) is up for review by all three countries by July 1, 2026. Verhuel said in the interview that the U.S. is rumoured to be looking for changes to the dispute resolution process to better meet its needs.
