Letter of the day: We can help the family farm by relaxing rules on Cuba

Legislation is on the move in Congress that would increase U.S. agricultural trade to Cuba. As a family farmer, I find this legislation very important for a number of reasons. Right now, the trade embargo we have with Cuba is working against American farmers like me. We need a level playing field to expand our corn market and other exports. The Cuban trade legislation lifts the requirement known as "cash in advance" that makes Cuban importers pay for U.S. agricultural goods while they are still at our port, instead of paying before the title changes, which generally occurs at the point of import. The bill also changes "third party banking" to allow Cuban importers to pay U.S. banks directly, instead of going through a non-U.S., third-party bank, which our competitors do not require. This bill does not lift the embargo. Rather, it is a bipartisan effort to help eliminate competitive disadvantages in what could be a very important market for U.S. trade and tourism. I urge our members of Congress seriously consider the whole picture and say "yes" to these changes that increase one-way trade to Cuba.GALE SYMENS, HERON LAKE, MINN.