The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

“FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative is pleased that a trade deal has been reached between the U.S., Mexico and finally Canada. This trilateral trade agreement continues a great trade partnership between these three countries, and it is a sign of all parties’ interest in long-term progress and growth to see these trade relationships continue.

We are eager to review the details of this trade agreement and to more fully evaluate the benefits to Midwest dairy producers. In the meantime, the information we have currently shows that two goals were achieved for U.S. dairy farmers: 1) greater market access into Canada and 2) the elimination of Class 7 pricing.

Great progress has been made with this new agreement; not only has the Class 7 pricing scheme been eliminated, but greater market access has been granted for quality U.S. dairy products. Additionally, Canada maintains their supply management system, something that they felt strongly about. And Mexico continues to receive many of the high-quality cheeses and other dairy products they have come to appreciate from the U.S. It appears that everyone walks away from this trade agreement with something they wanted, and all will benefit in the end.

We greatly appreciate the work of the Trump administration for keeping dairy a top priority during these trade discussions. Now, the three nations must remove the tariffs on agricultural exports as well as steel and aluminum. From there, the U.S., Mexico and Canada can focus on implementing this new trade agreement so that it can be a success story for future trade agreements to come.”

FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative, established in 2013 and based in Madison, Wis., represents farmers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana by providing legislative and regulatory advocacy, dairy marketing services, disaster protection, laboratory testing opportunities and industry promotion. FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative is a merger of three long-time prominent Wisconsin cooperatives.