Gov. Kim Reynolds says the topic of international trade and its implications for the Iowa economy should be front and center at the upcoming Iowa Ag Summit, especially with U.S. beef producers rushing to re-enter the Chinese market. “We’ve heard speculation year in and year out that China would re-open to U.S. beef since the 2003 mad cow disease scare,” Reynolds says. “The first shipment of U.S. beef in 14 years was flown to Shanghai [last] Wednesday and that’s an important development for Iowans. We need to develop the smartest, most effective ways to serve China’s growing demand for quality food. I’m hopeful Iowans with ideas to improve our international trade opportunities will join in the Iowa Ag Summit to create a win-win situation for Chinese consumers and our state’s economy,” Reynolds adds. This year’s Iowa Ag Summit will take place Saturday, Aug. 5 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Reynolds also recently announced she will be leading an agriculture trade mission to China from July 19 through July 28. This will be the first time that all of Iowa’s commodity crops—corn, soy, beef, pork, poultry, dairy and egg—have all participated in the same trade mission.
