USDA Looks To Expand Trade

Looking ahead into 2022, the USDA is working to expand export opportunities for American agriculture. Currently, U.S. farmers export more than 20 percent of what they produce to international markets.

USDA Foreign Ag Service Administrator Daniel Whitley tells the Mid-West Farm Report that 2021 was a record year for American agriculture, exporting $172 billion worth of agricultural goods. The USDA predicts this number will climb to over $175 billion in 2022.

Moving into the new year, he says the Build Back Better agenda has made investments in the ethanol industry, and Whitley says they are looking to create and expand global markets for ethanol and ethanol byproducts used for animal feed. The USDA is also working to increase market access for potato growers in Wisconsin and Idaho after issues relating to biosecurity hindered exports last year. 

Whitley explains that the global economic and trade environment have changed with the current administration, and he says it’s too early to say if the U.S. will join the CPTPP free trade agreement with other Pacific nations.