USDA Ramping Up Trade Efforts

Well before the current trade conflict boiled up, the USDA was urgently ramping up efforts to boost farm and food product exports.  Now, with tariffs and other trade disruptions a reality, it makes those efforts more urgent, according to USDA Undersecretary for Trade, Ted McKinney.  He's just wrapped up a big U.S. trade mission to Indonesia.  The seventh such mission this year, more than double what they would normally schedule in a year's time.

But, with farm incomes early half of what they were just four years ago, low commodity prices, increasing production and trade disruptions, McKinney says it's important to have an aggressive export strategy.  Part of that he said is to have more trade missions.

"We know, one of these trips might make the difference in whether a farmer or rancher is in the red or in the black."

He added it is urgent to,  "Keep  markets open where we can, and where they are not open, maybe we can open them."

There are two more trade missions on the docket this year, one to South Africa, one to South Korea.

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