NW Agribusiness Professionals Visit DC for TPP

I'm Susan Allen with the Fruit Grower Report.In less than 48 hours a group made up of ten Washington State business and agribusiness professionals, part of the Washington Council on International Trade met with ten members of Congress on the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, TPP in protecting the NW's Pacific Rim export markets. 17 meetings on trade policy in two days. Wow! John Stuhlmiller, CEO of Washington Farm Bureau has led many trips to DC but in his words, this trip in may was special.

STUHLMILLER: "This trip was a stand out for several reasons, one it was the entire delegation plus the two Senators, so we had everybody and timing were good for the conversation we were having about trade."

What made this trip different than all your others?

STUHLMILLER: "This event, in particular, is cool because you sit you sit around the table with the legislators, so they see Boeing, they see Microsoft, they see Starbucks, they see Farm Bureau, they see and the Potato Commission and on it goes and so it's a great mix. So there are certain legislators' where it's easier for us to get in the door and somewhere for a Boeing or Weyerhaeuser it's easier to get in the door, we are there, but it's the business community "generally" that 's represented so you have open eyes and ears from the congressional members.

Considering the economic impact of tree-fruit trade to the Pacific Rim some of our key exports markets, it's easy to see how despite both presidential candidates stance on TPP our NW tree fruit growers stand to benefit immensely if it's ratified.