Strong Start

Even amid questions of how his administration’s actions will impact policy important to agriculture, support for President Donald Trump remains strong, according to a recent Farm Journal Pulse.

The president has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement, causing concern from farm groups. In his State of the Union address, he offered more tough talk on trade, saying: “The era of economic surrender is totally over. From now on, we expect trading relationships to be fair and very importantly, reciprocal. We will work to fix bad trade deals and negotiate new ones, and they’ll be good ones. But they’ll be fair, and we will protect American workers and intellectual property through strong enforcement of our trade rules.”

The State of the Union speech also included tough language on immigration, calling for a tightened border and restrictions on visas, while also offering a path to citizenship for so-called “Dreamers” who were brought to the U.S. as minors. Trump’s plan, however, does not address the immigrant labor shortages faced by farmers and ranchers.

The administration has won praise across farm country for action on regulatory relief. EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt recently signed an order to delay implementation of the Waters of the U.S. rule for two years. The rule, under the Clean Water Act, has been opposed by farm groups because of the regulatory uncertainty it created for farming practices.

EPA has also filed to withdraw the Obama administration’s version of the rule.

To participate in the Farm Journal Pulse, text the word “PULSE” to 31313.