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www.SugarProducer.com 5 seedexseed.com And That's Pretty Sweet... Looks Aren't Even Its Best Trait. 1974-14Seedex12h.indd 1 8/30/18 4:31 PM With the upcoming elections on Nov. 6 and numerous other pressing legislative issues before Congress, a key question is whether there will there be floor time to pass the bill before the election. As of late August, no one knows that answer, but there is full confidence that a bill will be completed this year. If it is not, a new Congress in 2019 will have to start all over to draft a bill. No one wants to go through that exercise. Once the bill is law, I will provide further insights to both content and process. TRADE The turbulence of the tariff actions and counteractions taken against our trading partners has had a direct and significant impact on America's farmers, resulting in the $12 billion government payout to key commodities directly impacted by the scuffle. Many of the existing trade agreements were intended to provide economic benefits to strategic countries to stabilize their economies, minimize migration and assure that the U.S. had strong allies for military purposes around the world. These are geopolitical objectives—not economic benefits. While the agreements provided cheap labor and lower environmental standards to multinational companies, they also sent many jobs overseas, devastated some domestic industries and created trade deficits that are not sustainable over the long term. None of these countries will proactively make concessions on trade as long as they have an advantage. President Trump (from a business perspective) has used tariffs or the threat of tariffs to create an economic threat to our trading partners as leverage to bring them to the negotiating table and make concessions. We are waiting to see the first fruits of this strategy in the renegotiation of NAFTA. With the Mexican elections over and a new administration's inauguration on Dec. 1, there is an urgency in both countries to complete the agreement. To a great extent, Canada has been on the sidelines until the Mexican negotiations are near completion. By the time you read this article, we may know the success of this strategy. Simply put, the Trump administration strategy is that the trade negotiation journey is likely to be torturous and controversial in the short term, but provide a destination over the longer term that many will find much improved. The key question is, "How painful is the journey, and how long will it take to recover markets that were reduced or lost in the short term?" The answers to these questions will be revealed in the months ahead. ELECTIONS Washington is anxiously watching many events this fall that will push voters to one candidate over another and determine control of the House and Senate. With 65 House seats and four Senate seats currently open, voter turnout will be critically important for both parties. Will the outcome of this election drive parties and members farther apart, or nudge them closer together? With many new members, lots of work will be needed in 2019 to educate them and their new staff. HARVEST It looks like another bountiful harvest for most of our growing areas. Safety is of utmost importance for you and those who help deliver the crop. We give many thanks to all of those who make growing, harvesting and processing this crop a safe and productive campaign. n