GREEN BAY, Wis. — Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative and its members hailed today’s signing of a bill to implement the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement as a “tremendous victory” for the U.S. dairy community and praised Congress and President Trump’s administration for completing the deal.
Congress signed off on the bill late last year by a wide margin and by bipartisan votes. Mexico’s legislature has approved and Canada’s lawmakers are expected to do so soon, which is necessary for the agreement to take effect. Trump signed the bill into law this morning.
Edge, one of the largest dairy co-ops in the country based on milk volume, has long advocated for the deal on behalf of its members across the Midwest.
Edge’s president, Brody Stapel, a dairy farmer in eastern Wisconsin, shared these comments:
“This is a tremendous victory for America’s dairy farmers. In preserving the well-established markets of Mexico and Canada, and providing opportunities for even more exports there, USMCA will help bring the long-term economic stability necessary for farmers to not only survive but thrive.
“The outlook is far brighter today for farmers’ businesses, families and employees, and our rural communities because of this historic agreement, which also benefits so many other parts of America’s economy. We have reason to celebrate.
“Congress and the administration deserve praise for recognizing how critically important USMCA is and for putting divisive politics aside to make it a reality.”
Here are reactions from some of Edge’s other members:
“USMCA moves the U.S. dairy community forward. The Mexico and Canada export markets amount to supporting thousands of dairy farms and tens of thousands of jobs across the U.S. This deal capitalizes on our already successful trading relationships with our North American partners. As dairy farmers we look forward to the continued opportunities USMCA presents our industry.”
— Joan Maxwell, Cinnamon Ridge Farms, Donahue, Iowa
“USMCA is a win for Midwest dairy farmers. Not only does this deal allow the dairy community to build on two of our strongest export markets, Mexico and Canada, it helps ensure our U.S. dairy farmers will not be harmed by Canada’s domestic management systems in the global dairy marketplace.”
— Mitch Davis, Davis Family Dairies, Belle Plaine, Minn.
“Mexico is by far U.S. dairy’s number one export market. USMCA will give our dairy community certainty that our products will be available to Mexican consumers into the future. The agreement signed today also protects our south-bound, commonly named cheeses and it modernizes regulatory transparency measures.”
— Michael Crinion, Global Dairy, Estelline, South Dakota
“This is an exciting day. The deal has been a long time in the making and we can finally celebrate. The relationships our country has developed with Mexico and Canada have greatly benefited the U.S. dairy community during that past 25 years under NAFTA. Mexico is now our top dairy export market and Canada is number three. We need our neighbors and they need us.”
— Amy Penterman, Dutch Dairy, Thorp, Wis.
Photo: Click here for a photo of Brody Stapel
Tweet about this: #Dairy farm group @voiceofmilk sees #USMCA as tremendous victory
About Edge:
Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative provides dairy farmers throughout the Midwest with a powerful voice — the voice of milk — in Congress, with customers and within their communities. Edge, based in Green Bay, Wis., is one of the top cooperatives in the country based on milk volume. More information: www.voiceofmilk.com.
