Ultimately, Family Farms Pork hopes to provide independent hog producers with a market that captures a larger percentage of the consumer food dollar. New generation cooperatives, such as ours, could also help ensure that the benefits of increasing consumer food demand do not fall simply to the largest corporate hog producers. We can raise the hogs, process the pork and even pay for promotion programs. We cannot open foreign markets. Today, many agricultural producers remain frustrated by the lack of progress in expanding US exports since the passage of the 1996 farm bill.
China represents a tremendous market for our products.
It is essential that we not simply stand aside and wish our competitors well. But I believe US hog producers are well positioned to take advantages of increased foreign demand. And I strongly believe that China's ultimate participation in the World Trade Organization will provide mutual benefits. As the Chinese people are more fully integrated into the global economy, US agricultural producers will certainly benefit from access to this vast new market. No doubt, trade with the Chinese is a controversial issue.