After a flurry of preparation, we are ready to make the trip to Colombia in the morning. Mike Adams has his passport and visa, and we are set to head out from Washington at 6 a.m. tomorrow. As you will see from the release below, our travels will take us to Cartagena and Medellin with visits to redevlopment sites, industry and a cut flower facility. The trip is with the U.S. Department of Commerce, so much of the focus will be on industry and labor issues, but we should not forget that agriculture trade is not negotiated in a vaccuum. All of the broad spectrum of trade interests must be negotiated as a whole and other sectors have a significant impact on the trade deals for American agriculture.
In anticipation of our trip, we spoke today on AgriTalk with Stewart Doan of the Yancey Ag Network about his recent trip to Colombia on a similar mission. He gave us a taste of what is in store for us.
We also spoke on AgriTalk today with Sean Spicer, Assistant U.S. Trade Represenative about the trip and the importance of the Colombian Free Trade Agreement.
Welcome to the AgriTalk blog where we provide audio, video, pictures and observations from our travel. We are headed to Guadalajara, Mexico with the United Soybean Board and will have highlights posted from the trip. In the meantime, also posted here are pictures and clips from our visit to Colombia with U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.
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