WASHINGTON -- To illustrate how much the United States -- the Midwest, really -- stands to benefit from lifting the Cuban trade embargo, Minnesota farmer Ralph Kaehler likes to talk about powdered milk.
Last year, the tiny island off the coast of Florida imported roughly $80 million in powdered milk. United States farmers, a lot of them in Minnesota and other midwestern states, furnished about 25 percent of that order.
Kaehler, who testified Tuesday in front of the Senate Ag Committee, said American farmers could easily compete with China and Vietnam because it would be cheaper to ship to Cuba and the supplies are fresher. The hearing was meant to talk about the potential the United States has with a formal trade relationship with Cuba.
(One ding against the United States, the strong dollar which is making it less competitive for exports than other countries.)
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, on the Ag Commitee, is an original sponsor of a proposal to lift the Cuba trade embargo. She pointed out Tuesday that there is strong progress: President Barack Obama recently met with Raul Castro and said he wants to take Cuba off the United States' enemies list.
"The bill (lifting the Cuban embargo) won't pass this week, but it will pass someday," she said.
