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.
He had asked his advisors to draw up a plan for countries to cut their subsidies, tariffs, and market-access barriers. They came back with a proposal to reduce these by 50 percent over ten years. When they presented their draft, Yeutter looked at it and scratched out the 50 and replaced it with 100 prosentti. As a skilled negotiator, he realized that if you want to get to fifty, you need to start at one hundred.
Clayton got buy-in from the Secretary of Agriculture, his fellow cabinet officer, 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, â€Rhymes with Fighter: Clayton Yeutter American Statesman,†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.
Tutustuin Claytoniin hänen elämänsä viimeisinä vuosina. Yhdistettiin perustasolla: He was a farm boy from Nebraska and I was a farm girl from Iowa. We were both interested in public policy, especially with respect to agriculture. He had worked for four presidents, and I had worked for a governor.
His career was prestigious—after serving as U.S. Trade Representative under President Reagan, he was Secretary of Agriculture under President George H.W. Bush—he was a busy man whose advise was sought out by many, but he never saw himself as too important or busy for me. Nautin avoimesta kutsusta nähdä hänet Washingtonin vierailuilla, DC., ja hän oli aktiivisesti kiinnostunut Global Farmer Network -verkostosta, koska hän uskoi maanviljelijöiden johtaman ja äänekkäästi toimivan organisaatiomme tehtävään, joka puolustaa parempaa kauppapolitiikkaa ja tieteeseen perustuvan teknologian saatavuutta maataloudessa..
Useiden vuosien ajan ja aamiaiskokouksia, hänestä tuli mallimentori: a person who shared his experience and advice and expected nothing in return.  While his expertise and perspective were sought out, myös monet hänen pyytämättömät viestit ja kannustussähköpostit antoivat hienovaraisen ja tärkeän vahvistuksen Global Farmer Networkin viljelijöiden maailmanlaajuisesti jakamasta työstä ja viesteistä..
Clayton Yeutter kuoli vuonna 2017, but the book brings him back to life. I can see that broad grin and hear his voice saying: "Meidän on vapautettava maailman maatalouskauppa, jotta ruokavarastot voivat virrata sinne, missä niitä tarvitaan. Trade barriers must be made more expensive for countries that resort to them.â€
Tämä periaate oli hänen elämäntyönsä perusta, kun hän neuvotteli kauppasopimuksista Kanadan kanssa, Japani, Euroopan Unioni, ja koko maailma. Clayton Yeutter paransi maanviljelijöiden elämää omana aikanaan ja hänen vaikutuksensa parantaa maanviljelijöiden menestystä nykyäänkin.
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.