ARLINGTON, Va. — Members of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and their provincial counterparts from Canada issued a today underscoring the role of states and provinces in protecting food security and improving the competitiveness of North American trade during the . NASDA President, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward hosted the conference for the United States.
“By collaborating as a North American trade alliance, we increase food security for our entire continent and uplift rural communities. We will take action from our discussions this week to better foster trade and engineer solutions to challenges farmers and ranchers face in each of our countries.” Ward said.
Delegates recognized the benefits of USMCA to enhance North American trade in agricultural products and emphasized the importance of the agreement’s 2026 review to further promote free trade across North America. Delegates highlighted the importance of agricultural outreach programs and encourage jurisdictions to seek opportunities for cross-border collaboration to leverage resources to better reach rural, indigenous and minority communities. Delegates called on their respective federal partners to organize periodic table-top exercises with active involvement of state and provincial agricultural leaders to ensure continuity, communication, and consistency in our response to foreign animal diseases.
In addition to the joint communiqué, were published at the accord. The Tri-National Agricultural Accord is the primary opportunity for senior state and provincial agricultural officials of the United States, Canada and Mexico to work together on agricultural trade and development issues. The accord represents a longstanding commitment to collaboration on trade between the three countries, and the current meeting arrangement dates back to 1992. Mexico will host the 34th Tri-National Agricultural Accord in 2025.