Policy Updates: Farm groups divided as USMCA review highlights both agricultural gains and pain points

Farm groups divided as USMCA review highlights both agricultural gains and pain points (Agri-Pulse): On the first day of a three-day review hearing of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), U.S. farmers offered up conflicting testimony about the pact’s impact — with some sectors lauding expanded export opportunities while others warn that growing Mexican imports are threatening their viability. On the plus side, groups like the National Corn Growers Association and American Soybean Association emphasized that USMCA has delivered greater market certainty, noting that U.S. corn and soy exports to Mexico have increased significantly, and ethanol and other exports to Canada remain strong — gains that supporters say have enhanced North American food security.

On the flip side, growers of fresh fruit and vegetables — including the California Avocado Commission and producers in Florida — described dramatic declines in U.S. production, attributing the losses to surging imports from Mexico under USMCA. For example, U.S. avocado output has fallen by more than half, while bell peppers, tomatoes, berries, and other produce have seen similar declines, prompting calls for seasonal tariff-rate quotas to protect domestic growers. Critics also flagged persistent dairy market tensions, and called for measures like country-of-origin labeling and stricter food-safety standards for imports.