Feeding America with abundant, healthy, locally-produced food is as important as any trade or industrial goal. Reinforcing our capacity to feed ourselves makes the nation stronger, safer, and more prosperous, whole the Big Ag status quo blindly follows a globalized model that has left far too many American farms behind.
CPA announced key leadership changes as CEO Michael Stumo steps down to take on a new role in the Trump administration. Jon Toomey has been elevated as President of CPA to lead the organization and Nick Iacovella has been promoted to Executive Vice President.
Agriculture has long been a key part of Iowa’s economy. But the state is now facing escalating trouble, including the loss of more than 26,000 family farms since 1982.
Jamieson Greer seems certain to be approved as the next United States Trade Representative (USTR), but the Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee proved once again that they are anti-tariff—unless the target is China.
It’s past time for Washington to implement a trade policy that rebuilds independence and prosperity for America’s domestic farmers and manufacturers.
Valentine will bolster CPA’s advocacy efforts at the federal, state, and local levels, working to advance pro-American trade and economic policies that support domestic manufacturing, strengthen supply chains, and protect American workers.
Decades of free trade agreements have led to a record $39 billion agricultural trade deficit in 2024, undermining the broader U.S. agricultural industry.
This new CPA economic report is a damning indictment of how decades of free trade policies have hollowed out America’s agricultural sector, benefiting a handful of corporate giants while leaving family farms to bear the brunt of a failed experiment.
Food imports into the U.S. are on the rise. The trend now is for agricultural commodity trade deficits, rather than surpluses, with key commodities like beef usually in a deficit. Despite the increase in food imports, the Food and Drug Administration conducted far fewer than the annual goal of 19,200 inspections, according to FDA data.
The United States is now on pace to reach a $39 billion agricultural trade deficit in 2024 amid all-time record imports.
