Farm and Ranch March 12, 2010 A year after Congress ended a pilot trucking program with Mexico, that led to stiff tariffs on some U.S. exports, it appears a resolution of the issue is clearly in the hands of the Obama Administration.

Matt Harris, Director of Trade for the Washington State Potato Commission, says Congress excluded language in a 2010 spending bill that would have prohibited another pilot trucking program with Mexico.

Harris: “That is key in that the folks at the U.S. Department of Transportation can work toward putting back a program that makes sense for the United States.”

However, Harris says the Administration has not given a clear timeline of when that will happen.

Harris: “So now we are at this one year anniversary mark, which has devastated our potato industry and we do not have a clear direction of when this is going to be fixed.”

Harris says the 20 percent tariff on frozen potato products going into Mexico have cost the industry millions of dollars.

Harris: “And our concern is that Canada will overtake the market and we will see a complete migration of what was once produced in Washington state move north of the border and become a permanent fixture for those Canadian growers.”

That’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today. Good health tomorrow. I’m Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.

?