North American Food, Ag Groups Call for USMCA Renewal

June 05, 2026

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(Morning Ag Clips) USMCA, which went into effect in July 2020, requires that the three countries meet on July 1, 2026, to review the agreement -- Nearly 160 organizations representing the American, Canadian and Mexican food and agricultural value chains sent a joint letter today (June 2, 2026) to the trade representatives of their three countries urging them to renew and strengthen the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement as the required six-year joint review approaches.

The Agricultural Coalition for USMCA was a signatory and played a key role in organizing the letter. The National Corn Growers Association launched the coalition and helps direct the group’s initiatives.

“[USMCA] strengthens the resilience of our integrated agricultural markets, and over the past twenty years has made North America the most food-secured region in the world,” the letter noted. “All three nations share the responsibility of protecting and strengthening this competitive advantage, which is essential not only to economic prosperity, but also to national security and regional stability.”

The letter was sent to Ambassador Jamieson Greer, with the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Canada-U.S. Trade Representative Dominic LeBlanc and Mexico’s Secretary of the Economy Marcelo Ebrard.

USMCA, which went into effect in July 2020, requires that the three countries meet on July 1, 2026, to review the agreement. All three countries must agree on a path forward, which could mean extending the agreement for another 16 years, terminating the agreement or entering a period of annual consultations. Agricultural organizations from all three countries are pushing their governments to uphold and strengthen the agreement to provide certainty needed in today’s challenging economic times.

Advocacy groups across sectors have argued that to be globally competitive, continuing the efficient and seamless integration between the three countries is crucial. They argue that USMCA represents one of the largest trading blocs in the world, with over 500 million people, a $30 trillion-dollar GDP and a trade volume of $1.7 trillion.

“Without this trade agreement, North America is more vulnerable to countries that employ trade-restrictive policies that negatively impact the movement of food from areas of surplus to deficit,” the letter said. “[USMCA] is key to maintaining a competitive global advantage that reduces reliance on distant supply chains and encourages investment across the region.”

The groups noted that the agreement has also eliminated regulatory barriers for all three countries, increased regulatory transparency and ensured science-based treatment of agricultural commodities and products.

“[USMCA] creates an environment that can mitigate trade challenges instead of spurring escalation,” the letter said. “This is especially important as the entire food and agriculture supply chain is grappling with high input costs, low commodity prices, natural disasters, and global unrest. Price increases are difficult in any time but especially now.”

Signers of the letter hope to see a commitment to renewing the agreement as the negotiations surrounding the USMCA Joint Review continue and advance. Click here to read the letter. READ MORE

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Excerpt from DTN Progressive Farmer: Speaking at the White House, (US President Donald)Trump said, "I'm not looking to renew it because to be honest with you, the United States does much better. We don't need anything that Canada has, we don't need anything that Mexico has, but they need everything that we have, and they have to treat us better."

Trump has a history of making similar statements to use as possible leverage in negotiations. He frequently criticized both Canada and Mexico before reaching the USMCA agreement, which Trump signed in 2020.

Since the USMCA was enacted, the value of ag exports to Canada and Mexico has increased by 47% compared to only 18% for the rest of the world sector. Mexico and Canada remain the top two overall markets for U.S. agricultural exports -- due in part to a collapse in sales last year to China. At the same time, agricultural trade between the three countries still makes up the bulk of the U.S. agricultural trade deficit at $24.5 billion last year.

USDA data shows U.S. agricultural exports to Canada were $28.2 billion in 2025 but we imported $39.3 billion in Canadian agricultural products.

Agricultural exports to Mexico in 2025 were $30.6 billion while the U.S. imported $44 billion in agricultural products from Mexico.

The three countries are set to start a formal review process on July 1 -- six years after USMCA was enacted -- to determine whether to renew the trade deal for an additional 16 years. Several groups have created the Agricultural Coalition for USMCA, which is calling for the 16-year renewal. Groups are concerned the review "could also enter a period of annual consultations with no clear path forward, creating significant uncertainty for the farm economy."

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday held a hearing on USMCA renewal and some of the agricultural trade barriers that still exist between the three countries. READ MORE

Excerpt from S&P Global: Corn exports to Mexico, Canada surge 102% since 2020

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The NCGA said in a statement on June 11 that since USMCA took effect in 2020, it "has allowed for strong growth in US exports. Mexico and Canada now represent $60 billion — more than a third — of all US food and agricultural exports," adding that specifically for corn, exports to those countries have increased by 102%, reaching over $6.2 billion.

"If USMCA is not renewed, American corn farmers risk losing this growth and seeing these numbers drop to pre-agreement levels," said the statement.

Nancy Martinez, NCGA director of public policy, trade, and biotechnology, said that USCMA provides stable, reliable market access to our biggest customers at a time when US needs it most. READ MORE

Excerpt from Stu Swanson/Des Moines Register: With low corn prices and input costs that refuse to budge, farmers are fighting to remain profitable every single day. In this environment, we cannot afford to lose our best customers.

As a corn and hog farmer, I know that what I raise on my farm travels much farther than the Iowa border. The corn I grow fuels the ethanol industry and feeds my hogs that will later be processed for pork. Both of those end products are then exported around the globe through trade export markets. When these products move through trade markets, that revenue is reinvested directly into our rural towns, keeping our local businesses and schools thriving. READ MORE

Excerpt from Reuters:

US, Mexico and Canada expected to start a 10-year termination clock on USMCA on July 1
US negotiators last month sought 50% US vehicle content within an 82% regional threshold
Canada and Mexico received more than $58.6 billion in US farm exports in 2025, USDA data showed

U.S. and Mexican negotiators meet in Washington on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) for a second round of talks focused on agriculture and energy in an effort to revamp the North American trade agreement, as President Donald Trump casts doubt on the future of a 32-year-old free trade zone that also includes Canada.

Agricultural groups are urging Trump to extend the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade ‌for another 16 years with duty-free farm products, strengthened provisions for genetically modified corn and ethanol access in Mexico and improved access to Canada's largely closed dairy market.

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"I'm not looking to renew it," Trump said of USMCA last week. "We don't need anything that Canada has. We don't need anything that Mexico has, but they need everything that we have. They have to treat us better."

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The three countries on July 1 need to decide whether to extend the pact as is or recommend changes, but revisions will not be negotiated in time for that deadline. Instead, July 1 is expected to start a clock for termination of USMCA in 10 years, during which time negotiations would continue.

The U.S. and Mexico have scheduled a third round of talks in Mexico City for the week of July 20.

Kevin Brady, a former Texas congressman who once chaired the powerful U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, said Greer has a difficult task extracting enough concessions to keep Trump interested in USMCA while preserving as much of the duty-free structure that underpins the North American economy and nearly $1.6 trillion in annual regional trade.

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Trump has already modified the trade pact by imposing unilateral tariffs on Mexican and Canadian autos, steel and aluminum, and Greer has said that duties will remain, but perhaps at lower rates.

While Mexico and Canada could try to drag the negotiations out for years, trade experts say such ‌a move could ⁠prompt Trump to invoke a separate termination clause allowing any member country to leave the pact six months after written notice.

TRADE DEAL TERMINATION WOULD BE 'CATASTROPHIC' FOR FARMERS

Canada and Mexico are now the top two agricultural markets for the U.S., ....

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But the U.S. last year ran agricultural trade deficits of $13.2 billion with Mexico and $11.1 billion with Canada.

One way to bring the Mexico deficit down is to press Mexico to allow ethanol blending with gasoline in major cities, said Nancy Martinez, director of public policy, trade and biotechnology for the National Corn Growers Association. She said this move could boost annual U.S. ethanol exports to Mexico by $2 billion.

MEXICAN GRIP ON ENERGY

The U.S. and Mexico this week also will try ⁠to resolve a longtime disagreement over the Mexican government's increased control over its energy sector to benefit state oil producer Pemex, despite committing in USMCA to allow more U.S. oil investment. READ MORE