Tag: exports

John Horn

Olin professor  John Horn says Missouri exports to Mexico and Canada, its chief international trading partners, could be put at risk if the Trump Administration moves forward with plans to withdraw from NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.

“This is where Missouri exports. And this is where St. Louis exports,” said Horn, senior lecturer in economics, during an interview this week with St. Louis Public Radio. “So the state will have to replace those exports somewhere.”

In a nearly five-minute segment aired during Morning Edition, Horn addressed the consequences of talks this week in Montreal, where negotiators are gathered to discuss reworking the pact, or the possibility of the United States withdrawing. According to the public radio piece, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates a loss of 250,000 jobs in Missouri if the Trump administration exits the agreement.

Horn addressed the benefits or demerits of NAFTA, whether it has cost jobs in the United States, and the potential benefits of renegotiating the agreement.

The current round of negotiations, Horn said, introduces uncertainty in the business community, which can be unhealthy.

“If businesses don’t know where they should be investing, or how they should be investing, they tend to hold back on investments and that is going to slow growth down,” he said.

Read more about Horn’s interview or listen to the complete piece on St. Louis Public Radio’s website.

With the complexities of mid-terms, finals, internship and job hunts, trying to coordinate travel arrangements to get the CHS-supported team to Italy was a daunting task. Instead of trying to plan it all, I gave the participants a simple mission: find your way to Florence, Italy. And find their way they did, via plane, train, and automobile. From points across Italy, the team members converged on Florence.

 Guest Blogger: Brandon Smith, team leader for the CHS trip

We kicked off the first two days of the trip exploring the city of Florence and allowing the team to get adjusted to the seven hour time difference. When planning the trip I knew I wanted to allow the student’s time to adjust before we jumped into site visits. I felt Florence offered a perfect venue to allow the transition as well as place the team in the heart of the Italian Agricultural sector.

The days were spent visiting the highlights of arguably the greatest city in Italy. From Michelangelo’s David to the Medici Place, the Duomo to the Uffizi gallery, the city offered the team an amazing opportunity to immerse themselves in thousands of years of history.

To set the tone for the week ahead a dinner was planned bringing together the students supported by CHS Inc. with the students participating in the Artex Practicum project. The dinner allowed students to sample the best the region had to offer and began the conversation on the Italian agricultural industry.

The time spent in Florence was an amazing experience and one that was not possible without the support from CHS and the CHS Foundation. Many in the group had never traveled to Europe nor had extensive exposure to the agriculture and energy sector. As this blog will undoubtedly show the students came away with a once in a lifetime experience with a new take on the agricultural and energy industry.

The CHS Foundation is the major giving entity of CHS Inc., the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative and a global energy, grains and foods company. As a part of the CHS stewardship focus, the CHS Foundation is committed to investing in the future of rural America and agriculture and cooperative business through education and leadership development. The sponsorship support from CHS helped cover travel, and travel related, expenses for students to participate in a number of number of agricultural and energy related site visits and tours across central and northern Italy.

“The European Union is the second largest agricultural export market in the world. The Italian agriculture sector represents over 17% of Italy’s GDP. These two factors make Italy an ideal location to study the European agriculture industry,” explained Brandon Smith, MBA’15, before he left for two weeks in Italy over Spring Break. Smith who is Graduate Business Student Association President and trip coordinator for the CHS Italian Agriculture and Energy Market Immersion Trip was instrumental in obtaining sponsorship support for the trip through the CHS Foundation.

The sponsorship support from CHS will help cover travel, and travel related expenses for nine students to participate in a number of agricultural and energy related site visits and tours across central and northern Italy.

CHS Inc. is a multibillion-dollar Minnesota-based Fortune 100 company with interests in food processing and wholesale, farm supply, and financial services, among many others. Carl Casale, EMBA’92, is president and CEO of the company.

Over the next week, members of the CHS tour will contribute blog posts and photos from their trip. Companies that stand out on the travel itinerary include:

• Parmigianino Reggiano, Italy’s largest producer of parmesan cheese;
• Giuseppe Giusti , Italy’s oldest produce of balsamic vinegar;
• The Academia Barilla, a division of Barilla, the largest pasta manufacturer in the world;
• A biogas plant in Casalmaggiore.

Students will also visit cultural and historic sites across the region. The support received from CHS will allow Olin students to bring back priceless knowledge, real-world experience, and exposure to the opportunities present in the agriculture and energy industries.

Smith said, “In the world today, MBA students often overlook the opportunities in the agriculture and energy sector. Through this sponsorship, CHS, and the CHS Foundation, has demonstrated a commitment to investing in future leaders and exposing a new generation of MBA leaders to the agriculture and energy sector”.

The CHS Foundation is the major giving entity of CHS Inc., the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative and a global energy, grains and foods company. As a part of the CHS stewardship focus, the CHS Foundation is committed to investing in the future of rural America and agriculture and cooperative business through education and leadership development.