WTO: Tom Hammer

Tom Hammer with the National Oilseed Processors Association isn't very confident that these WTO negotiations were supposed to succeed...and he's not all that confident that the US Congress will extend Trade Promotion Authority to the President when it expires in 2007, despite the track record of declines in trade, especially for agriculture.

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by:

WTO: Joe O'Mara

Joe O'Mara, former Chief Ag Trade Negotiator at the US Department of Agriculture, sat down with me to talk about his experiences at WTO negotiations for our Saturday Morning Farm Feature. (This interview runs about 12:00, but has a lot of good background information.)

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by:

WTO: Greg Doud

The National Cattlemens Beef Association Chief Economist Greg Doud told me that these trade negotiations are important to beef producers in the United States and that we're talking more than just trade deals here...we're also talking about the way countries are treated when it comes to trade issues like BSE.

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by:

WTO: Bill Bryant

A lot of the attention of these trade talks centers around the crops most of us are familiar with, corn and soybeans. But the "other" crops are just as important in trade negotiations. Bill Bryant, representing the American Potato Trade Alliance , spoke to me about the importance of these talks for fruit and vegetable producers.

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by:

WTO: Shannon Herzfeld

Food Aid was one of the debates between several of the nations here in Hong Kong. Shannon Herzfeld with ADM, here representing the North American Millers Association, spoke with me about the US position on food aid.

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by:

WTO: Jay Vroom

Crop Protection makers are also interested in what comes out of these trade negotiations...not only in the agriculture arena, but also in the area of industrial trade. CropLife America's Jay Vroom visited with me...

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by:

WTO: Jack Wilkinson

Canadian Farmer and President of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers Jack Wilkinson visited with me in Hong Kong...

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by:

WTO: Steve Censky (Part 1)

The Executive Director of the American Soybean Association, Steve Censky, gave me an overview of what the American Soybean Association were looking for this week in Hong Kong.

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by:

A Club Sandwich for Lunch at the Star Ferry Pier

Now I know what a club sandwich is supposed to look like...a little ham, turkey and roast beef, all combined together on toasted bread with some lettuce and tomato. In Hong Kong, though, it's not quite that way.

I think what I had on my sandwich was a combination of ham, tomato and egg...and they cut the crust off of the bread. So while I didn't get the classic three meat combo, it was still a tasty sandwich; I'd try it again.

Of all the things I didn't take a picture of, this was one of them...and I can't track down an accurate picture on-line of what the sandwich looked like!

WTO: Bob Stallman

American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman joined us in Hong Kong for the WTO mid-week. Stallman visited with me about Farm Bureau's position on trade issues...

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by:

WTO: Steve Censky (Part 2)

Fourteen Agriculture Commodity Groups and Associations sent letters this week to Bush Administration Officials, Capitol Hill and US farmers and ranchers asking WTO negotiatiors to focus on the issue of market access during trade negotiations. Steve Censky, Executive Director of the American Soybean Association, visited with me about the importance of this issue.

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by:

The Comfort of Food from Home

So here it is, Wednesday night in Hong Kong...Mike spent the evening with some folks from the sugar industry and I've skipped supper, trying to do some catch-up on this site and editing some other stories. We're supposed to be on air with Mike Adams at AgriTalk after the 10:30 market update (that's 12:30am Hong Kong time), so between the combination of being hungy and justifying that I'm going to be up for at least a couple of more hours, I head down the street to find something familiar to eat.

Upon arrival to this small space McDonald's is occupying, I realize I am the only caucasian there. This must cause some level of anxiety, as I see a lot of glances coming my way and the conversations begin to diminish. I wonder if any of the workers will be able to understand my midwestern English. I order a Big Mac by number and decide to venture out of the comfort zone and try a spicey chicken sandwich also...The Big Mac (not surprisingly), tastes much like the ones at home, with the only noticeable difference being the flavor of the lettuce. The chicken sandwich? A little different...it'll never be a replacement for my favorite, the McRib!

LINK: McDonald's Hong Kong

WTO: USTR Press Briefing

The highlight of the day for myself had to be the afternoon press briefing with US Trade Representative Rob Portman. In "Theatre 1" of the WTO news area, Portman held an afternoon briefing with reporters. I was fortunate enough to be one of those who asked the Ambassador a question about the WTO negotiations.

Hear my report with Ambassador Portman.

Fellow farm broadcater Mike Hergert also covered the Ambassador this afternoon and files this report.

Missouri Corn Update

This week's Missouri Corn Update comes from Hong Kong, where I had the opportunity to catch up with US Grains Council CEO Ken Hobbie. We talked about what the implications of these talks mean to Missouri Corn farmers and a trip that he and other members of the Grains Council made to mainland China this week.

WTO: Dave Frederickson (Part 2)

Dave Frederickson, President of the National Farmers Union continued his conversation with me as we visited about the influence these WTO talks will have on the writing of the next farm bill.

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by:

WTO: Dean Kleckner

Dean Kleckner, former President of the American Farm Bureau Federation has been attending the WTO Ministerials since the mid-1980s. Kleckner now serves as President for Truth About Trade and Technology.

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by:

South Korea: Next for US Beef Trade?

It appears that the South Korean market may be the next potential place to re-open its trade to beef from the United States. Greg Doud, Chief Economist for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, told us here in Hong Kong that it appears things are starting to line-up so that US Beef will be back on the menu there soon.

WTO: Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns held a press availability with journalists following his address to members of the Agriculture Trade Coalition here in Hong Kong this morning. I had the opportunity to ask the Secretary about market access.

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by:

Victoria's Peak

Last night, Mike and I headed to the high-point of Hong Kong, Victoria's Peak. I'm hopeful we can get back up there again during the day, because I'd like to see just how good the view is. The night pictures don't do the view justice, but I think you can get the perspective as to how many people live in a such a small area.
We rode the tram down the hill, but the pictures didn't come out...those will have to wait for the next trip.

WTO: Partrick Boyle

Patrick Boyle, President of the American Meat Institute, visited with me about the re-opening of the Japanese Marketplace to United States Beef and how these WTO negotiations and the re-opening of this important market go hand in hand.

Coverage of the WTO is brought to you by: