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Thirty-five years ago, around Thanksgiving, Â Clayton Yeutter was focused on using American trade laws to negotiate on behalf of the United States for the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. As the U.S. Trade Representative in the Reagan administration, one of his main goals was to make it easier for farmers to buy and sell their products across borders.

Zamolio je svoje savjetnike da naprave plan za zemlje da smanje svoje subvencije, tarife, i barijere za pristup tržištu. Vratili su se s prijedlogom da ih smanje za 50 posto tokom deset godina. Kada su predstavili svoj nacrt, Yeutter ga je pogledao i izgrebao 50 i zamenio ga sa 100 posto. As a skilled negotiator, he realized that if you want to get to fifty, morate početi od sto.

Clayton got buy-in from the Secretary of Agriculture, njegov kolega iz kabineta, and the United States set the table for what became one of the most important trade pacts ever negotiated in human history.

This story and many others are included in a new biography that talks about his role in global trade at this point in America’s history. The title, „Rimuje se sa Fighter: Clayton Yeutter američki državnik,” is a reference to what Yeutter would say when a person asked the pronunciation of his last name. He was an extraordinary public servant and statesman whose efforts in support of cross-border business and free trade are still having a positive impact on agriculture and farmers.

Upoznao sam Claytona u posljednjim godinama njegovog života. Povezali smo se na osnovnom nivou: On je bio dečko sa farme iz Nebraske, a ja sam bila devojka sa farme iz Iowe. Oboje smo bili zainteresovani za javnu politiku, posebno u pogledu poljoprivrede. Radio je za četiri predsjednika, a ja sam radio za guvernera.

His career was prestigious—after serving as U.S. Trgovinski predstavnik pri predsedniku Reganu, bio je ministar poljoprivrede za vrijeme predsjednika Georgea H.W. Bush—he was a busy man whose advise was sought out by many, ali nikada sebe nije smatrao previÅ¡e važnim ili zauzetim za mene. Uživao sam u otvorenom pozivu da ga vidim u posjeti Washingtonu, D.C., i aktivno se zanimao za Globalnu mrežu poljoprivrednika jer je vjerovao u misiju naÅ¡e organizacije koju predvode poljoprivrednici i koja se zalaže za bolju trgovinsku politiku i pristup tehnologiji zasnovanoj na znanosti u poljoprivredi.

Kroz niz godina i sastanke za doručak, postao je uzorni mentor: a person who shared his experience and advice and expected nothing in return.  While his expertise and perspective were sought out, također su mnoge neželjene bilješke i e-mailovi ohrabrenja od njega pružili suptilnu i važnu afirmaciju rada i poruka koje su farmeri Globalne mreže poljoprivrednika dijelili širom svijeta.

Clayton Yeutter je umro 2017, but the book brings him back to life. I can see that broad grin and hear his voice saying: “Moramo liberalizirati svjetsku trgovinu poljoprivrednim proizvodima, tako da zalihe hrane mogu teći tamo gdje su potrebne. Trade barriers must be made more expensive for countries that resort to them.”

Ovaj princip je bio fundamentalan za njegovo životno djelo, dok je pregovarao o trgovinskim sporazumima sa Kanadom, Japan, Evropske unije, i cijeli svijet. Clayton Yeutter je u svoje vrijeme poboljšao život poljoprivrednicima, a njegov utjecaj nastavlja da čini farmerima boljim i danas.

As I prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States with my family this week, I have much to be thankful for. Included in that long list are the mentors I have been privileged to have in my life. And this year, special gratitude for the remarkable legacy and friendship of Clayton Yeutter.