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Nebraska officials plan trade mission to Canada

Nebraska state officials will travel north to Canada in August for a trade mission to the state’s fourth largest agricultural export market.

Leading the delegation will be Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts. He says he hopes to calm worries about the future of NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.

“As I’ve talked with Canadian officials, I think there are concerns and uncertainty with how the Trump Administration is going to approach it,” Ricketts says. “I think what we want to do is just stress that we want to have those good relationships—and then also be able to work with the Trump Administration as they’re thinking about this modernization, that we don’t disrupt that great relationship.”

Nebraska ag director Greg Ibach will also be part of the delegation.

“There are great opportunities for red meat to go up there,” Ibach says. “We hope to be able to serve them some Nebraska-processed beef and pork, especially.”

The mission, scheduled for August 7th through the 11th, will visit Toronto and Ottawa.  The group plans to meet with top Canadian government officials as well as representatives of Canadian livestock groups.

The Nebraska Radio Network contributed to this story.