You will learn:

The U.S. farm economy is heavily dependent on international trade, with 96% of the world’s consumers living outside of the United States. According to the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), the United States is one of the world’s top agricultural exports, second only to the European Union. ERS reports that U.S. agricultural exports were valued at $178.7 billion in 2023, which was a $17 billion decrease from 2022. The top 5 foreign markets — China, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and Mexico —  account for nearly two-thirds of U.S. exports.

With increased talk of global tariffs and the potential of retaliatory tariffs, among other issues, what does the future hold for international agricultural trade? Join us on March 19 to hear from two nationally recognized ag trade experts: Kenneth D. Isley, Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, and Peter Friedmann, Executive Director, Agriculture Transportation Coalition. Oliver Ward, International Trade Editor at Agri-Pulse, will moderate.

This webinar is co-hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center and Agri-Pulse.

You will hear:

Oliver Ward, International Trade Editor, Agri-Pulse

Oliver Ward is on the Agri-Pulse editorial team as the international trade editor. He has several years of experience reporting and writing on trade and international economics for media outlets in the U.S. and abroad. Prior to joining Agri-Pulse, he was at Inside U.S. Trade, a print and digital trade publication that is part of the Washington Publishers news service.

Before that, he was a digital content producer at the Peterson Institute for International Economics – a non-partisan economics think tank. Working under former New York Times international economics correspondent Steven Weisman, Ward authored newsletters and economic explainers, built data visualizations, and was part of a small team that maintained a widely cited PIIE tracker for goods purchased under the U.S.-China phase one agreement.

Ward is a graduate of the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom where he received a bachelor’s degree in history and sociology. He has a master’s degree in journalism and digital storytelling from American University in Washington.

Kenneth D. Isley, Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Ken advises agribusiness and other companies of virtually all sizes on strategic and corporate matters related to governance, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and financial transactions. He assists his clients with corporate and regulatory compliance, communications, crisis management, and international trade. Ken is also co-chair of the firm’s Agriculture and Food Practice Group.

Ken spent most of his career with Dow, where his key roles included being the head of Corporate and Financial Law; head of Litigation, Regulatory and Operations; head of Latin America Legal; and vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of the company’s agricultural subsidiary, Dow AgroSciences.

During his time as administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) and chairman of the USDA’s Intra-Departmental Coordination on International Affairs, Ken gained extensive knowledge and skills in leading the agency in obtaining market access across the world for U.S. agricultural and food products; supporting the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in the negotiation and enforcement of billions of dollars’ worth of export trade agreements and implementing multibillion-dollar programs for trade promotion, trade tariff mitigation, agricultural development and international food assistance. He also led the FAS agency reorganization and successfully navigated it through global agricultural trade disruptions, a lengthy government shutdown, and the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Prior to joining the firm, Ken was executive vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary for Intelinair, Inc., where he advised on and assisted with developing and implementing the company’s strategic plans; relocating its corporate headquarters to Indianapolis; negotiating and executing an EDGE agreement with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC); and updating corporate governance, commercial and administrative documentation, structures and processes.

In his professional endeavors and beyond, Ken is passionate about organizational performance and leadership development.

Peter Friedmann, Executive Director, Agriculture Transportation Coalition

Peter Friedmann Serves as the Executive Director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition. He plays a key role in developing U.S. and international transportation policy. In 1987, he helped form the AgTC when a number of agricultural exporters sought assistance in dealing with ocean transportation challenges.

As Counsel for the U.S Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Peter was responsible for drafting the Ocean Shipping Act and has drafted numerous other transportation laws, including Jones Act amendments, and the funding mechanisms by which ports and inland waterways are dredged and operated, including the Harbor Maintenance Fee.

Since leaving Capitol Hill, Peter has been a leading advocate for shipper and international trade interests before Congress, the Federal Maritime Commission, and other federal agencies.

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